Clean water
UNICEF estimates that over 2.2 billion people worldwide do not have access to clean drinking water. Micro-organisms are responsible for a host of waterborne diseases, but simultaneously offer solutions in purifying water and improving sanitation. Biofertilizers offer promising solutions for reduced nutrient runoff and wastewater recycling. As well as applying microbes to combat the problem, applied microbiologists can use their knowledge of health and disease to reduce cases of waterborne disease.
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Engineered plant–microbe symbiosis turns wastewater metals into photosynthetic biohybrids
A new plant–microbe strategy could change how wastewater heavy-metal pollutants are managed: instead of merely capturing toxic cadmium and lead, it converts them into light-harvesting semiconductor nanoparticles on living bacteria. The system pairs water lettuce with an engineered, fast-growing aerobic bacterium.
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NewsHorizon 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.
NewsResistant bacteria are favored in hospital sewers – responsible antibiotics identified
A study examined sewer systems and wastewater from hospitals and municipal treatment plants in eight Swedish cities. Sewage from all ten hospitals promoted antibiotic-resistant bacteria, while no such effects were found after exposure to sewage from the corresponding municipal treatment plants.
NewsDead bacteria can keep making DNA with help from viruses
Researchers at Aarhus University have discovered that bacteria can continue producing DNA after they die. And they have found a way to control what gets produced. The discovery could eventually contribute to the development of new biological materials.
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One Health initiative aims to build safer, more sustainable food systems
A new One Health initiative in Thailand is bringing together expertise across food safety, antimicrobial resistance, climate change and public health. The platform aims to turn scientific evidence into coordinated action across agrifood systems, with a strong focus on collaboration between researchers, government, industry and international partners.
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NewsFAU receives $1.3M NOAA grant to address harmful algal blooms
A new $1.3 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science will enable researchers to investigate the environmental and biological mechanisms that drive harmful algal blooms in subtropical estuaries.
NewsCould plywood provide a better home for oil-degrading microbes?
The material used to support microbial biofilms could influence their potential role in treating water generated during oil production. Researchers examined whether different supporting materials affect the formation, abundance, and composition of biofilms inside a 14-hectare constructed wetland treating oil-produced water.
NewsGut-inspired biobattery uses bacteria to generate electricity
The tiny finger-like structures lining our small intestine have inspired a new design for bacteria-powered batteries. By mimicking intestinal villi, researchers created a bioelectrode with more surface area and better nutrient flow, allowing bacteria to generate stable electricity for hours.
NewsResearcher to investigate challenges affecting drinking water infrastructure
Researchers investigating the critical challenges affecting drinking water infrastructure will explore the interactions of biofilms, pipe materials, disinfectants and corrosion-control additives to mitigate corrosion and improve public health outcomes in the future.
NewsNew sequencing tool tracks harmful algal blooms as they emerge
A portable DNA sequencer can detect harmful algae in coastal waters in near real time, including species present at very low levels before blooms become obvious. Researchers also found that several harmful species often appear together, suggesting shared environmental triggers may help drive their growth.
NewsCholera cases surge as conflict in Yemen displaces over 200 000 people
Escalating conflict and mass displacement in Yemen are increasing the risk of infectious disease outbreaks as overcrowding, inadequate access to safe water and disrupted health services expose growing numbers of people to cholera, measles and other preventable diseases.
NewsStudy maps antimicrobial resistance across major drinking water sources
Rivers, reservoirs and lakes can act as reservoirs for antibiotic residues and antimicrobial resistance, but the risks are not evenly distributed. A new study of drinking water sources in the Poyang Lake basin found that rivers and certain lake sites carried higher resistance-gene burdens, with mobile genetic elements emerging as a key factor linked to their spread.
NewsMachine learning links water quality measurements to potential pathogen risks
A study of drinking water prediction systems shows that environmental measurements could support predictions of multiple microbial targets and generate potential health risk estimates broadly consistent with calculations based on measured pathogen concentrations.
NewsFungi that colonise human faeces: first scientific study lays the groundwork for myco-sanitation
Filamentous fungi can colonise fresh human faeces, and the choice of fungal species shapes how the material changes, according to a new study. Depending on the species, the fungi accelerated degradation, reduced faecal indicator bacteria, suppressed faecal odour or changed the appearance of the material.
NewsGlobal genome atlas reveals hidden life in lakes
Researchers reconstructed nearly 20,000 mitochondrial genomes from around 3,660 species fround in lakes and reservoirs. The result is the first global genomic atlas of these microscopic eukaryotes found in lakes and reservoirs. It reveals a wealth of previously unknown biodiversity: for several groups of algae and related organisms.
FeaturesTracking the invisible: monitoring microbial processes in freshwater ecosystems using fluorescence sensing
Rivers are dynamic ecosystems driven by microbial processes that regulate carbon and nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, and oxygen consumption. Despite their central role in river health, microbial processes remain mostly invisible in routine water quality monitoring programmes, which continue to focus primarily on physicochemical parameters.
NewsWater transformed into a weapon against antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Engineers have developed a new approach for turning ordinary water into a weapon against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to a study that hinges on a new kind of crystal made from titanium dioxide. These crystals transform the normal oxygen molecules in water into a special molecule known as “singlet” oxygen.
NewsIn African lakes, microbes living on algae reduce a powerful greenhouse gas
Lakes emit as much methane as agriculture. Researchers have shown that, in 79 African lakes, bacteria living on the surface of microalgae act as a natural filter. The greener the water becomes, the more these methanotrophs break down this powerful greenhouse gas.
NewsWHO reports latest global trends in cholera, meningitis and plague
Cholera deaths increased by 30% in 2025, despite fewer cases being reported to the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2025, 47 countries reported 451 499 cholera cases and 7870 deaths to WHO, the highest number of annual cholera deaths reported to WHO since 1999.
NewsSafer water: From single-target tests to real-time multipathogen surveillance
A new perspective outlines how integrated biosensing systems could move aquatic pathogen surveillance from periodic single-target testing toward rapid, online monitoring of multiple pathogens at once.
NewsRainwater tanks may be harbouring hidden health risks
Rainwater tanks are a popular way for Australians to save water, but new research has found they can also harbour potentially harmful bacteria and metals that could pose health concerns.
NewsCyanobacterium found in clean lakes shows little toxic potential
Scientists have assembled the first complete genomes of Gloeotrichia echinulata, comparing DNA of samples from both West Coast and Northeast lakes. They found no evidence of the machinery required to produce the toxins commonly associated with cyanobacteria.
NewsBacteria pulled from local pond water show early promise for cleaning up sewage
A new study identifies green sulphur bacteria from Peshawar pond samples that reduced pollution markers in wastewater after a week of treatment.