Climate action
Today we are seeing climate change in action, increased concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases have led to a rise in sea levels, temperatures, and extreme weather patterns. Researchers have acknowledged the pivotal role microorganisms in producing sustainable biofuels, increasing carbon sequestration via soil microbes and reducing methane emissions in landfill sites. Microbial innovation will be vital in moving towards a low carbon economy.
News
Scientists discover unique microbes in Amazonian peatlands that could influence climate change
Researchers have identified an unknown family of microbes uniquely adapted to the waterlogged, low-oxygen conditions of tropical peatlands in Peru’s northwestern Amazonian rainforest.
Read story
NewsCoastal waters: An underestimated source of methane
A new study revealed that methane emissions in coastal habitats are highly influenced by natural factors like tides and seasonal changes, which also affect the activity of methane-eating microbes.
NewsMicrobial solutions for boosting seaweed farming and carbon capture
A new study reveals how manipulating the microscopic life living on seaweed can contribute to developing industrial-scale seaweed farming and boost its potential for fighting climate change.
Long ReadsFree-living amoebae and emerging public health challenges in a warming world
The year 2023 was the warmest since global temperature records were established in 1850. Discover the role of free-living amoebae in the transmission of waterborne pathogens and human infection, in the context of rising global temperatures.
More Climate change
News
Meet the Global Ambassadors: Our Q&A with Petr Heděnec
The Microbiologist chats with our new Global Ambassador for Malaysia, Petr Heděnec, who is an Assistant Professor/University Lecturer at the Institute of Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu.
NewsGlobal research on hydrothermal pretreatment: A green leap for biorefineries
From a global analysis of the research in hydrothermal pretreatment, a bibliometric study highlights its use as the future of biorefineries for sustainable biomass conversion.
NewsLooking to Kenya’s Lake Victoria for what may come for Lake Erie
Scientists conducted a genetic survey on cyanobacteria in the Winam Gulf of Kenya’s Lake Victoria, which serves as a model for the cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanHABs) in Lake Erie under the warming climate.
NewsCycle of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef now at ‘catastrophic’ levels
Marine scientists have published the first peer-reviewed study documenting the devastating coral bleaching events that occurred on the southern Great Barrier Reef in early 2024. 66 per cent of the colonies were bleached by February 2024 and 80 per cent by April.
NewsExtreme rain heightens E. coli risks for communities of color in Texas
New research shows that communities of color in Texas face pronounced risks of E. coli exposure in nearby waters following storms that dump abnormally high amounts of rain.
NewsGene-edited soil bacteria could provide third source of nitrogen for corn production
If corn was ever jealous of soybean’s relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, advancements in gene editing could one day even the playing field. A recent study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign shows that gene-edited bacteria can supply the equivalent of 35 pounds of nitrogen from the air during early corn ...
NewsReview offers guidance to clinicians on animal-borne infections in the Canadian Arctic
A new review on zoonotic infections in the Canadian Arctic provides timely guidance to clinicians as the region experiences heightened global interest as well as climate change, which threatens the region and increases risk of disease transmission.
NewsBeach guardians: How hidden microbes protect coastal waters in a changing climate
Coastal water quality is closely impacted by the microbial compositions living in groundwater within beach sands due to the rising sea level, a new study reveals.
NewsA new way to make microbial fuel cell - a 3D-printed fungal battery
Researchers have developed a full functional, non-toxic and biodegradable fungal battery, with enough to power a temperature sensor, which can be used in agriculture or in environmental research for several days.
NewsBacteria linked to successful restoration of elkhorn coral colonies
Coral restoration should prioritize shallower depths with faster currents in low-nutrient environments to promote a healthier microbial community, a new study suggests.
NewsScientists uncover key step in how diazotrophs ‘fix’ nitrogen
There are only two ways of fixing nitrogen, one industrial and one biological. To better understand a key component of the biological process, researchers took a multi-pronged approach.
NewsClimate change linked with worse HIV prevention and care
Researchers find that climate change and extreme weather events impact HIV prevention and care through numerous pathways, including increased HIV exposure, reduced testing, and worse health outcomes for people living with HIV.
NewsStudy uncovers complex drivers of phytoplankton bloom
A new study investigates three key processes, each triggered by different aspects of the wind field, that drive the upward transport of nutrients to the surface capable of triggering plankton blooms at the equator.
NewsSome bacteria evolve like clockwork with the seasons
The longest natural metagenome time series ever collected, with microbes, reveals a startling evolutionary pattern on repeat.
CareersTowards space plastics - and solving a few Earth problems en route
Dr Nils Averesch, Assistant Professor of Space Biology at the Space Life Science Laboratory, Cape Canaveral, reveals how his research on microbial plastic production could pave the way for thriving human settlements in space.
NewsBio-electrochemical cell producing hydrogen from microorganisms in waste: Pathway to large-scale implementation unveiled
Scientists have achieved a significant breakthrough in clean energy technology, successfully enhancing a crucial component of a bio-electrochemical cell and enabling more efficient hydrogen production from microorganisms found in waste.
NewsOcean microbe’s unusual pair of enzymes may boost carbon storage, study suggests
Scientists have discovered multiple forms of a ubiquitous enzyme in microbes that thrive in low-oxygen zones off the coasts of Central and South America.
NewsDeep-sea hydrothermal vent bacteria hold key to understanding nitrous oxide reduction
Scientists have unearthed a clue to the molecular mechanisms involved in N2O reduction by deep-sea hydrothermal vent bacteria.
NewsMicrobial oxidation in glacial rivers and lakes could help mitigate methane emissions
A new study suggests microbes in glacial rivers and lakes may play a crucial role in mitigating the effects of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that recent studies have shown emerging as glaciers melt in warming global temperatures.
