Latest news
Breast milk sugar may help protect newborns from jaundice
A sugar naturally found in breast milk may help newborn intestines mature and process bilirubin, the compound that builds up during jaundice. In mice, loss of 3’-sialyllactose disrupted gut development, worsened hyperbilirubinemia and was linked to greater intestinal vulnerability later in life.
How a gut virus hijacks mucus production to slip past the body’s protective barrier
A recent study reveals how astroviruses use goblet cells as an escape route from the small intestines to evade host immunity and enhance spread and transmission, presenting a new path for treating pediatric diarrhea.
Cattle genetics and gut microbes could help cut methane emissions
Researchers are uncovering how cattle genetics and rumen microbes work together to shape methane emissions and feed efficiency. The findings could support new feed additives, probiotics and microbial strategies that reduce emissions while helping cattle extract more energy from their diet.
Low-level lead exposure linked to higher strep throat risk in children
Even relatively low levels of lead exposure may be linked to a higher risk of strep throat in children. In a study of more than 13,000 children, those with blood lead levels below current public health action thresholds still had substantially higher odds of a strep diagnosis.
Study investigates Southern Ocean’s role in global nutrient cycling
A study tracking changes in the physical, biogeochemical, and optical properties of Subantarctic Mode Water (SAMW) and Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) reveals how the two water masses follow distinct nutrient recycling pathways, potentially influencing the composition and productivity of far-reaching phytoplankton communities.
Researchers harness the microbiome to prevent deadly bloodstream infections
Researchers have pioneered a new approach to preventing dangerous bloodstream infections in patients receiving donor stem cell transplants for blood cancers. The first-of-its-kind therapy delivers 16 carefully selected beneficial bacteria designed to restore the microbiome and fight harmful pathogens.
Breast milk sugar may help protect newborns from jaundice
A sugar naturally found in breast milk may help newborn intestines mature and process bilirubin, the compound that builds up during jaundice. In mice, loss of 3’-sialyllactose disrupted gut development, worsened hyperbilirubinemia and was linked to greater intestinal vulnerability later in life.
How a gut virus hijacks mucus production to slip past the body’s protective barrier
A recent study reveals how astroviruses use goblet cells as an escape route from the small intestines to evade host immunity and enhance spread and transmission, presenting a new path for treating pediatric diarrhea.
Cattle genetics and gut microbes could help cut methane emissions
Researchers are uncovering how cattle genetics and rumen microbes work together to shape methane emissions and feed efficiency. The findings could support new feed additives, probiotics and microbial strategies that reduce emissions while helping cattle extract more energy from their diet.
Perpetual Next signs agreement to accelerate the roll-out of standardized biomethanol plants
Perpetual Next have signed a License and Engineering Agreement with Air Liquide Engineering and Technologies for the supply of syngas-to-methanol technology for Perpetual Next’s first biomethanol facility, with an option to extend across other biomethanol sites.
AFYREN and Terrial renew their partnership for French-manufactured potash fertilizers
AFYREN and Terrial today announce the renewal of their strategic partnership with the signing of a new multi-year fertilizer supply contract, worth several tens of millions of euros This long-term contract strengthens both companies’ commitment to making French agriculture more sustainable and less dependent on international fertilizer markets.
Simulator predicts jumping genes’ roles in changing genome size
Researchers have created a new computational tool that works from an inferred ancestral point and evolves forward to the modern-day genome to trace the insertion and deletion dynamics of these ’jumping genes’, known as transposable elements.
New AI tool helps scientists identify bacteria hidden in soil
A handful of soil holds a crowded world of bacteria, fungi and other organisms. Scientists can collect their DNA, but much of it remains difficult to identify. Now, researchers have developed an artificial intelligence tool that recognizes bacterial DNA in tiny genetic fragments, making it faster and easier to study the complex communities living in soil.
Electricity-powered yeast converts CO₂ into useful chemicals
Researchers have developed an electrobioreactor that turns carbon dioxide into itaconic acid, a valuable chemical used in plastics, textiles and resins. The system combines electrochemistry with engineered yeast, offering a potential route to produce bio-based chemicals from emissions instead of sugar.
Horizon Awards 2026: Professor James Ebdon named as winner of John Snow Prize
Environmental microbiologist Professor James Ebdon, from the University of Brighton, UK, has been named as the winner of the John Snow Public Health Innovation Prize, which recognises outstanding achievements in applied microbiology that deliver measurable improvements in public health and environmental health outcomes.
AMI members call for microbiome-focused approach to EU biotechnology regulation
Members of Applied Microbiology International (AMI) have urged the European Commission to put microbial communities at the heart of environmental risk assessments for genetically modified microorganisms, as part of its response to the EU Biotech Act consultation.
Can the microbiome really change medicine? Scientists confront the evidence gap
At Targeting Microbiota 2026 in Málaga, international scientists will explore how microbiome discoveries can move beyond laboratory research toward evidence-based clinical applications.