Ocean Sustainability
Over 70% of the earth is covered in water, which serves as a vital resource human subsistence. Contamination and acidification pose major threats to aquatic health and biodiversity. Microbes offer a promising solution in their ability to breakdown contamination from oil spills and plastics. Applied microbiologists can play a significant part in understanding biodiversity, contributing to solutions, and encouraging stewardship.
Novel database reveals hidden diversity and potential of deep-sea microbes
Scientists have spearheaded Global Ocean Reference Genomes Dark (GORG-Dark), the first global atlas of single-cell microbes living in the aphotic ocean. It contains more than 9,600 genomes from individual microbial cells collected across a broad range of depths and locations, including the Mariana Trench and the Antarctic.
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Molecular insight into biological nitrogen fixation close to the boiling point
Scientists have purified a nitrogen-fixing enzyme from a deep-sea microorganism that shows extreme heat-stability and is possibly of ancient origin. The molybdenum-containing enzyme has been captured in a “turnover” state, highlighting a universal mechanistic principle among nitrogenases.
That sinking feeling: Testing for ocean health and carbon storage
Our oceans are in trouble and new research shows how changes in diatoms could further undermine the foundation of aquatic life’s food webs – as well as vital deep-sea carbon capture or sequestration.
Under pressure: How a deep-sea protein adapts to an extreme environment
Researchers have uncovered a molecular strategy that enables a deep-sea protein to remain stable under extreme pressure. As pressure increases, the protein assembles into groups of three, called a trimeric structure, and stabilizes itself through a process known as oligomerization-mediated structural stabilization.
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Major 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.
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Fertilizers and extreme heat are damaging coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico
Scientists analyzing nitrogen isotopes in the calcareous skeletons of corals have discovered that the high levels of nitrogen in the northern Gulf originate from the Mississippi River and are attributable to the use of fertilizers.
Applied Microbiology International announces new president, Professor Raquel Peixoto
Applied Microbiology International is delighted to announce that Professor Raquel Peixoto will be taking over the reins from Professor Jack Gilbert as President.
AMI calls for marine microbes to be at the heart of Europe’s future ocean policy
Applied Microbiology International (AMI) has responded to the European Commission’s consultation on the proposed EU Ocean Act, highlighting the essential contribution of marine microorganisms to ocean health, climate regulation, biodiversity and the blue bioeconomy.
Archaea as “flexitarians”: Ammonia-oxidizing microbes also feed on amino acids
Symbiotic ammonia-oxidizing archaea in marine sponges are not strict specialists, but true “flexitarians”. Research has shown that these microbes dine not only on ammonia but also on amino acids - and presumably do that to communicate with their animal host.
Probiotic and postbiotic treatments revive heat-stressed corals
Researchers have established that both live probiotic and inactivated postbiotic treatments improve coral health—while the animals are under thermal stress during a natural marine heatwave.
An enzyme with potential: New type of plastic-degrading enzyme discovered in bacteria
Researchers have identified a new enzyme that can not only degrade certain polyesters and bioplastics, but also might provide bacteria with resistance to antibiotics. The discovery raises hopes that microorganisms can adapt to plastic degradation more rapidly than previously thought.
Where do dissimilatory iodate-reducing microorganisms live in the ocean?
Scientists have discovered that dissimilatory iodate-producing microorganisms do not live above marine oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) as long predicted - instead thriving within the OMZs, converting iodate into iodide and promoting the release of marine iodine into the atmosphere.
Anti-fouling materials protect against slimy incursions
Researchershave received a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop materials that incorporate soft robotics and nontoxic polymers to fight biofouling, or the buildup of aquatic organisms in wet environments.
Loss of kelp forests reverberates down to microbial level
As one moves north, Maine’s kelp forests are being overtaken by dense mats of carpet-like turf algae. The steady decline of kelp, and transition into this new state, is altering the ecosystem all the way down to the microbial level, according to a new study.
Heat-tolerant corals may be more vulnerable to disease, study finds
Corals that partner with heat-tolerant algae may be better equipped to survive warming oceans but that resilience comes with an unexpected trade-off. Such corals keep their stress response system in a heightened state - and that can backfire.
Tiny ocean plankton holds clues to the future of Maine lobster
Researchers have discovered that planktonic baby lobsters, or larvae, preferentially feed on Calanus finmarchicus, a tiny, calorie-rich zooplankton species, during one of the most vulnerable stages of their lives.
Adding iron to the ocean can remove CO2 – but at what cost to nature?
Adding iron to the ocean can cause plankton to absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere. However, the effect depends on where in the world the method is used, and it can have far-reaching consequences for marine ecosystems and food chains.
Scientists reconstruct past ocean temperatures from red algae
Researchers have found a new way to reconstruct daily seawater temperatures over a four-month period. The key lies in rhodoliths: nodule-like calcareous structures formed by red algae that occur in oceans worldwide.
Tolkien-inspired coral among the stars: New species discovered on Costa Rica’s deep-sea seamounts
Scientists exploring seamounts off the coast of Costa Rica have discovered a new coral so genetically and morphologically distinct that it required the creation of an entirely new family for its classification.
Marine heatwaves pose hidden threat to human health
Prolonged periods of unusually high ocean temperatures can trigger a cascade of effects that ultimately affect human health, from worsening extreme weather events and reducing seafood supplies to increasing mental health challenges.
Biologist wins NSF CAREER Award to study the ocean’s most abundant microbe
Anne Thompson, an associate professor of biology, won a nearly $1.2 million NSF CAREER Award to answer a basic question about the ocean that science has largely left open: who eats the most abundant photosynthetic life form on Earth?
Geology: Antarctica’s Blood Falls reveals an ancient marine community
Salty water flowing through Antarctica’s Blood Falls contains a distinct community of marine-specific microorganisms, providing evidence that the brine system beneath the glacier has a marine origin.
Microorganisms actively shape the ocean floor
At a newly discovered hydrothermal system in the Mediterranean, researchers were able to demonstrate how different intensities of hydrothermal fluid flow shape microbial communities and control mineral formation on the ocean floor.