All Rice University articles
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NewsInvasive plants drive homogenization of soil microbial communities across U.S.
A new study found that invasive plants are doing more than just taking over landscapes, they are also changing the soil beneath them.
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NewsBioengineered mussel-inspired sticky microorganisms to help break down plastic waste
Scientists have tapped into nature’s adhesive genius, the sticky power of mussels, to create bioengineered microorganisms with powerful cling that could help transform environmental cleanup.
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NewsScientists team up to track gut-brain connection in athletes with concussion
120 athletes are to take part in a concussion study with researchers to identify reliable and novel concussion biomarkers in their gut microbiomes in ways that standard brain imaging cannot.
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NewsResearchers unveil secrets behind phages’ flawless timing
New research is shedding light on how viruses ensure their survival by precisely timing the release of new viruses. The discovery offers a new theoretical framework for understanding these dynamic biological phenomena.
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NewsEngineers develop innovative microbiome analysis software tools
Since the first microbial genome was sequenced in 1995, scientists have reconstructed the genomic makeup of hundreds of thousands of microorganisms and have even devised methods to take a census of bacterial communities on the skin, in the gut, or in soil, water and elsewhere based on bulk samples, leading ...
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NewsStudy identifies protein responsible for gas vesicle clustering in bacteria
Scientists have presented the first identification of a protein that can regulate the honeycomb patterning of gas vesicles packed within microbes.
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NewsFaster and simpler point-of-care malaria test developed
Researchers have developed a rapid, accurate test for diagnosing malaria that is significantly faster and easier to use than traditional tests. The advancement has the potential to improve patient outcomes, especially in rural regions with limited health care resources.
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NewsSelf-decontaminating fabric burns out viruses but is safe for skin
A new material that packs deadly heat for viruses on its outer surface while staying cool on the reverse side could transform the way we make and use personal protective equipment (PPE).
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NewsProtective particles allow engineered probiotics to report gut disease
Bioengineers have developed a platform that allows engineered biosensor bacteria safe passage through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in an animal model.
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NewsViruses hidden in coral symbiont’s genetic material pose threat to reefs
Microscopic algae that corals need for survival harbour a common and possibly disease-causing virus in their genetic material, an international study has found.
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NewsHigh-efficiency gene-editing tool coaxes fungi into yielding their secrets
Using an approach that simultaneously modifies multiple sites in fungal genomes, Rice University chemical and biomolecular engineer Xue Sherry Gao and collaborators coax fungi into revealing their best-kept secrets, ramping up the pace of new drug discovery.
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NewsNew contamination detection tool Squeegee targets low microbial biomass microbiomes
Researchers have developed a new contamination detection tool that can distinguish between a potential environmental contaminant and a genuine microbiome signal in low biomass studies – studies that contain little microbial DNA like breastmilk, placenta or amniotic fluid.
