Healthy land
Land has a wide variety of uses: agricultural, residential, industrial, and recreational. Microbes play a key role in the terrestrial ecosystem, providing symbiotic relationships with plants. Human use of land has led to the exhaustion of nutrients in soils, contamination of land, and a reduction in biodiversity. Applying our knowledge of microbes will be essential in restoring the biodiversity of affected ecosystems. Greater research into how microbes impact human life on land could all have a positive impact, by increasing crop production, repurposing areas of land and improving microbial biodiversity in soil, land, and water.
News
Molecular clock analysis shows bacteria used oxygen long before widespread photosynthesis
Researchers have constructed a detailed timeline for bacterial evolution and oxygen adaptation. Their findings suggest some bacteria could use trace oxygen long before evolving the ability to produce it through photosynthesis.
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NewsSome gut bacteria could make certain drugs less effective
Researchers discovered that gut bacteria can metabolize oral administered drugs that target G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) and potentially other chemicals and food compounds, leading to impacts on the effectiveness of medication to patients.
NewsWestern diet causes inflammation, traditional African food protects
A study showed that traditional African diets, rich in fiber, fermented food and vegetables, have higher health benefits that boost immunity and reduce the risk of developing lifestyle diseases, compared to the high calorie and high saturated fats in the Western diet.
NewsHidden signals in water reveal disease early in tomato plants
Researchers have developed an innovative method for the early detection of Fusarium wilt in tomato plants by monitoring subtle changes in the plants’ water use.
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News
An intelligent device for detecting infections using the temperature of the skin
Based on a flexible, self-sustaining thermoelectric system, scientists created an intelligent temperature-sensing device to detect inflammations and infections, which can assist clinical decisions upon monitoring wounds and lesions.
NewsNew carrier birds brought avian flu to Europe, Americas
Unexpected wild species, from pelicans to peregrine falcons, are transporting the virus from poultry farms to new places around the world and changing where the risk of outbreaks is highest.
NewsScientists create ‘fungi tiles’ with elephant skin texture to cool buildings
Scientists have developed ‘fungi tiles’ that could one day help to bring the heat down in buildings without consuming energy. These tiles have bumpy, wrinkly texture to the tile, mimicking an elephant’s ability to regulate heat from its skin.
NewsMuseum collections reveal worldwide spread of butterfly disease
A new study of museum butterfly collections explore how these specimens can be used to track the spread of disease. Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE) is a protozoan parasite that can hamper a butterfly’s growth and flight.
NewsA step towards life on Mars? Lichens survive Martian simulation in new study
For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that certain lichen species can survive Mars-like conditions, including exposure to ionising radiation, while maintaining a metabolically active state.
NewsPinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission
A US project aims to use mathematical models to analyze how factors like temperature, light pollution, and bird and mosquito abundance affect West Nile virus transmission. The ultimate goal is to advise health departments of the best time of year to kill the bugs.
NewsHidden virus harboured by fruit flies may influence experimental accuracy
A new study suggests the presence of Nora virus in laboratory strains of Drosophila fruit flies influences their resilience to stress and bacterial infection and can confound experimental studies of ageing.
NewsBacteria deployed to fix cracks in space bricks
Researchers have developed a bacteria-based technique to repair bricks that can be used to build lunar habitats, if they get damaged in the moon’s harsh environment.
NewsUrbanization reshapes soil microbes: Bacteria adapt, fungi resist
A groundbreaking study reveals that urban environments favor bacterial generalists, which adapt to diverse conditions, whereas fungi maintain specialized ecological roles. Despite these divergent responses, the functional overlap between bacteria and fungi ensures ecosystem resilience.
NewsScreening tool tests bee colonies by mimicking pheromones of death
A screening tool tests colonies for hygienic behavior by mimicking the pheromones emitted by sick or dying bees. The test can identify colonies resistant to several pests and pathogens that can decimate bee populations such as Vairimorpha (known to many beekeepers as Nosema) and fungal infections including chalkbrood.
NewsNew discovery boosts wheat’s fight against devastating disease
A new study reports a previously unknown molecular event that initiates the immune response to a major wheat disease. The findings provide strategies to engineer wheat that has stronger immunity against infection.
NewsInter-trophic networks reveal the central role of methanogens in deposited estuarine soils
A new study focused on exploring the distribution patterns, driving factors and microbial interaction patterns of methane-metabolizing microorganisms along the sedimentation gradient in the Yellow River estuary.
NewsSoil carbon-degrading enzyme activities more sensitive to warming in alpine meadow than swamp meadow
A new study demonstrates that the activities of soil extracellular enzymes are significantly altered in the alpine meadow, but not significantly in the swamp meadow, which coincided with the soil organic carbon content of these grasslands.
News‘She loves me, she loves me not’: physical forces encouraged evolution of multicellular life, scientists propose
A new study presents a striking example of cooperative organization among cells as a potential force in the evolution of multicellular life. The paper is based on the fluid dynamics of cooperative feeding by Stentor, a relatively giant unicellular organism.
NewsAMI members show the way on how microbes are already solving environmental disasters
Applied Microbiology International members are among a team of high level microbiologists who have teamed up to highlight how the world’s tiniest creatures are delivering solutions to climate change and pollution.
NewsmRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines train the ‘long-term memory’ of the innate immune system
A study showed that vaccination of multiple mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines could induce persistent epigenetic changes in innate immune cells, leading to long-term immune responses for SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens.
NewsResearchers design genetic tools to develop vaccines more efficiently for African swine fever virus (ASFV)
A synthetic genomic-based reverse genetics tool has been developed for African swine fever virus (ASFV) that helps vaccine development to reduce the economic losses. The system may also be adapted to other emerging viral threats.
NewsDistinct patterns of soil bacterial and fungal communities in the treeline ecotone
A study was carried out to understand the biodiversity of the microbial communities in the treeline ecotone that might affect alpine ecosystems and other potential ecological effects in response to climate change.
NewsBiochar and microbe synergy: a path to climate-smart farming
Researchers conducted a global analysis to obtain a full picture of the environmental and agricultural benefits of biochar, which is shown to be beneficial to soil health and microbes.