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
In the wild, chimpanzees likely ingest the equivalent of several alcoholic drinks every day
The first-ever measurements of the ethanol content of fruits available to chimpanzees in their native African habitat show that the animals could easily consume the equivalent of more than two standard alcoholic drinks each day.
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NewsDisease experts upgrade sentinel chicken system to create forecast for West Nile virus
An interdisciplinary team of experts have created a statistical model that accurately predicts the activity of West Nile virus in an area up to six months in advance. The model was trained using two decades of sentinel chicken data.
NewsResearch reveals tropical rainforest soils may fuel climate change as the Earth warms
A new study suggests the Earth’s own tropical soils may contribute to climate change as global warming continues, releasing vast amounts of carbon dioxide (CO₂) as they warm and potentially accelerating a dangerous feedback loop.
NewsWarming temps alone fail to trigger increased CO2 levels from soil
A study examining the effects of higher temperatures on soil shows that warming alone does not increase levels of carbon dioxide emitted from the soil. Instead, higher temperatures combined with more added carbon led to higher carbon dioxide levels released from the soil.
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News
Can microbes be the good guys? New study reveals Hollywood’s blind spot
A new review shows how films — from French Kiss to The Martian — highlight microbes as allies in food, medicine, and even space exploration.
NewsScientists can decode wildlife movement to predict the next pandemic
By equipping wildlife with biologging devices that track movement and behavior in near-real-time, researchers can detect early signs of illness, monitor disease spread, and inform public health interventions before outbreaks reach crisis levels.
NewsTraditional herb boosts fish health and immunity, study reveals
A groundbreaking study reveals how the traditional herb Picria fel-terrae (PFL) can significantly improve fish health. When added to fish feed at just 0.1% concentration for six weeks, the herb maintained healthy gut structure while reducing inflammation.
NewsSigns of life on Mars? Not so fast, say geologists
Geologists have urged caution in claiming signs of life on Mars from speckled rock found by Perseverance Rover. The researchers believe that a non-biological origin of the speckled rock found on Mars by NASA’s Perseverance rover is just as compelling as a biological one.
NewsScientists probe how microbial communities and environmental factors impact cotton development
Soil microbial communities play a vital role in plant health, influencing root development, disease resistance, nutrient and soil water uptake and more.Scientists are investigating how these microbial communities impact cotton development and overall yield across diverse climates, agricultural practices and environmental stressors.
NewsNew conservation committee led by Applied Microbiology International calls on science community to get on board with microbial conservation
The team behind a new world-leading conservation committee headed by Applied Microbiology International (AMI) is calling on global scientific and conservation communities to get on board to protect microbial life.
NewsMethod probing dark matter uncovers hundreds of new bacteria, and two potential antibiotics
A new approach to exploring untapped soil resources circumvents the need to grow bacteria in the lab by extracting very large DNA fragments directly from soil to piece together the genomes of previously hidden microbes, and then mines resulting genomes for bioactive molecules.
NewsAcross eight Amazon countries, forests on Indigenous lands reduce spread of 27 diseases
New research finds that municipalities in the Amazon region closest to healthy forests on Indigenous lands face less risk from rising cases of two categories of disease: cardiovascular and respiratory diseases due to forest fires and illnesses.
NewsIt’s not hopeless: Scientists want to learn lessons from climate change communication to save our soil
Soil scientists have urged us all to play our part in protecting our soil and to heed the lessons learnt from those who have been championing actions to mitigate the effects of climate change.
NewsJames Hutton Limited awarded almost £39,000 to develop innovation campus
James Hutton Limited, the commercial wing of The James Hutton Institute, has been awarded £38,881 from the Scottish Government to progress a clima-tech and agri-tech innovation campus at its Invergowrie site.
NewsLiving cement: scientists turn bacteria-infused cement into energy-storing supercapacitors
By integrating electricity-generating microbes into cement, researchers have created a living supercapacitor that can store electricity and regenerate its capacity. The technology could pave the way for energy-autonomous buildings and infrastructure.
NewsFrom Miami to Berlin: stowaway rat delivers valuable pathogen lessons
in 2017, a Miami–Berlin flight took an unexpected turn when passengers spotted a rat on board. The incident underscored how easily pathogens can spread across continents—and why standardized testing of animal stowaways is so important.
NewsSwitch on, switch off: the dynamic defense of a deadly plant disease
Even strains of Phytophthora infestans considered sensitive to mefenoxam can rapidly develop resistance after a single exposure to a low dose. Researchers have uncovered the dynamics of this defense mechanism, revealing a foe that is more adaptable than previously thought.
NewsScientists probe tool used by harmful bacteria to hijack crops
Researchers have identified a tool that helps the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae turn a plant’s fundamental biology against itself. The findings could eventually lead to new approaches to protecting crops.
NewsResearchers uncover potential biosignatures in Bright Angel formation on Mars
A new study has revealed potential chemical signatures of ancient Martian microbial life in rocks examined by NASA’s Perseverance rover.
NewsWorld-first koala chlamydia vaccine approved
In a world first, a vaccine has been approved to protect Australia’s endangered koalas from infection and death caused by chlamydia.
NewsNovel Bocaparvovirus identified in goats in China
Researchers identified a novel Bocaparvovirus in goat fecal samples using metagenomic techniques, with detection in goats from 3 regions in China: Sichuan, Hunan and Chongqing.
NewsFrom quantum mechanics to quantum microbes: A Yale scientist’s journey of discovery
Faced with a microbial mystery hidden deep in the soil, Nikhil Malvankar returned to his roots - with results that could shape the field of quantum computing.
NewsNew insight into yam disease defense: how leaf traits and ABA stop anthracnose
A research team has isolated the anthracnose pathogen infecting greater yam and identified it as Colletotrichum alatae—the first report of this species in yam.