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
Scientists develop microbially produced adhesive materials from glucose instead of petroleum
Researchers have demonstrated the potential of using microorganisms to produce a bio-based alternative to petroleum-derived materials for hot-melt adhesives.Using Escherichia coli, the team produced a new polymer from glucose and demonstrated performance and properties that support its potential use as a hot-melt adhesive.
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NewsHow a pathogen turns flowers into leaves
Scientists have found how a protein produced by bacteria disrupts the mechanism that controls flower development in plants, turning reproductive organs into leaf-like structures. These findings shed light on a plant disease that is expected to spread as climate change expands the range of its insect vectors in northern latitudes.
NewsFungi neutralize spruce defense mechanisms with sugar
A newly discovered detoxification strategy employed by fungi disarms spruce defense compounds by binding a sugar to them, which makes spruce trees more susceptible to bark beetle attacks.
NewsWhat you need to know about rabies after recent North Carolina cases
In late August, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services confirmed multiple rabies cases in baby goats at a mobile petting zoo based in Iredell County. Hundreds of people may have been exposed to rabies from the goats when the zoo visited various locations over a five-week period.
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News
Breakthrough optimization of chlamydospore fermentation for Cladophialophora guangxiense HX2
The dark septate endophyte Cladophialophora guangxiense HX2 exhibits excellent control efficacy against tomato bacterial wilt but industrial production of its chlamydospores has been challenging. Researchers have optimized the liquid fermentation process using chlamydospore yield of strain HX2 as the key response indicator.
NewsDogs and cats carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria also found in people, study finds
Pets may carry strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae — a potentially serious bacterium that can cause infections that are also found in humans. The study is the first to map the global genetic makeup of K.pneumoniae carried by domestic dogs and cats, and to compare it on a large scale with the same bacteria in people.
NewsShapeshifting plant roots rely on a balance of anatomy, metabolism, and microbes to maximize survival
Scientists have identified the mechanisms that allow plants to change their root anatomy to maximise survival when nutrients are scarce. The findings could pave the way for developing new ways to improve beneficial plant-microbe interactions in agriculture.
NewsScientists break down shoe foam by genetically tweaking a microbe found in compost
Researchers have developed a new kind of enzyme based on a bacterium found in compost that can degrade the polyurethane material in shoe foams. The results could one day help recycle plastic waste from shoes, mattresses, kitchen sponges, and more.
NewsResearchers find plastic-degrading enzymes in nature
Danish researchers have found 12 new polyurethane- and nylon-degrading enzymes by bioprospecting bacteria at the largest scale and broadest range of environments so far: in a compost heap, in a landfill in Kenya, a tropical zoo and in guts of larvae.
NewsLong-term biochar use may help conserve nitrogen deep in alkaline paddy soils
Five years of biochar amendment shifted nitrate transformation toward a nitrogen-retaining pathway in deeper soil layers, revealing why soil depth matters when biochar is used to manage nitrogen in rice fields.
NewsMajor investment to unlock the potential of protist research
A new collaboration will tackle major technical challenges currently limiting protist genomics, helping to unlock the potential of protist research for biomanufacturing, sustainable agriculture and environmental applications.
NewsDairy waste to fuel: New process unlocks potential of 95,000 tonnes of salty whey
A company that helped design how astronauts grow and recycle food in space is now applying that thinking to the critical problem of dairy waste here on Earth. Scientists turned salty whey, a high-volume by-product from cheese production, into bioethanol.
NewsIntermediate nitrification/denitrification bioreactor closes a gap
Researchers present a method for nitrification and denitrification of septic effluent comprising an intermediate nitrification/denitrification bioreactor which builds on concepts currently used in the design of full‑scale wastewater treatment plants.
NewsPaper reveals huge enthusiasm for Caribbean microbiome hub at inaugural symposium
Turnout at a recent symposium has confirmed the appetite for a new microbiome hub in Puerto Rico, reveals Puerto Rico AMI Global Ambassador Dr. Filipa Godoy-Vitorino.
NewsScientists want to 3D print houses on Mars with the help of yeast
Researchers have developed a recipe that could one day be used to 3D print houses on Mars. combining Martian rocks with gelatin and yeast. Once dried and hardened, this living building material is as strong as low-grade concrete and can be broken down, recycled, and brewed again for new construction.
NewsProfessor Jack Gilbert leaves a lasting legacy of collaboration and global engagement at AMI
As Professor Jack Gilbert steps down as President of Applied Microbiology International, he leaves a legacy of collaboration, generosity and an unwavering commitment to strengthening our global community.
NewsPairing biofertilizers with biochar turns farm and city waste into climate-smart soil solutions
A new review makes the case that organic waste from farms, cities and industries could become a resource for healthier soil and more resilient farming — if two waste-derived soil treatments, microbial biofertilizers and biochar, are used together rather than separately.
NewsCo-digestion of waste and wastewater from biomanufacturing for energy recovery
Researchers have developed the Anaerobic Baffled Continuous Stirring (ABCS) reactor, a device capable of simultaneously treating solid waste and wastewater from biomanufacturing processes while recovering methane for energy self-sufficiency.
NewsPlant health: New joint factsheet outlines synergy between Horizon Europe projects FORSAID, CERBERUS and STELLA
One of the biggest threats to Europe’s forests and farms is the spread of biotic stressors, capable of reversing decades of cultivation and conservation. As part of its efforts to address this challenge, the EU has mobilised three sister projects - FORSAID, CERBERUS and STELLA.
NewsBiochar can act as an ‘interface engineer’ to reshape the hidden world around plant roots
A new review shows how biochar simultaneously modifies soil structure, chemistry and microbial communities in the rhizosphere, offering a framework for more precise and sustainable agricultural use.
NewsFrom soil to outer space: our interview with JAM Systems Microbiology Lead Editor Janet Jansson
We get to know Janet Jansson, who has been appointed as new Lead Editor in Systems Microbiology at the Journal of Applied Microbiology.
OpinionHow Puerto Rico’s first microbiome research center can reshape global science collaboration
AMI’s Global Ambassador for the Americas, Dr. Filipa Godoy-Vitorino, Chair of the Department of Microbiology at the University of Puerto Rico, reveals why she is spearheading the planned Puerto Rico Center for Microbiome Sciences (PR-CMS)—the first of its kind in the region.
NewsKazakh researchers ID antiviral and anti-inflammatory compounds in native medicinal plants
Researchers have identified biologically active compounds with antiviral, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory effects in several plant species native to Kazakhstan, providing new chemical and experimental data on medicinal flora from Central Asia.