All Under the microscope articles
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Features
Under the microscope: commercialisation of the microbiome
Over the last decade, there has been a paradigm shift from investigating single organisms and single target treatments towards studying the totality of an environment.
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Features
Under the microscope: microbes in space
Read a round-up of the latest advancements in microbiology and space exploration
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Features
Under the microscope: rabies
World Rabies Day is celebrated each year on the 28th of September to raise awareness for rabies prevention and to shine a light on progress in defeating the disease.
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Features
Under the microscope: ocean degradation and climate change
Central to addressing these issues is the understanding and management of marine microbiomes – the complex microbial communities that connect, interact with, and affect all other organisms and the ecosystem, playing pivotal roles in marine health and resilience.
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Features
Under the microscope: microplastics
Examining the issue of plastic pollution with a round-up of microbial advances from the last few years.
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Features
Under the microscope: Alaskapox
Alaskapox virus (AKPV) is genetically more similar to old world than new world Orthopoxvirus.
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Features
A festive guide to fermentation
With Christmas approaching, it’s time to delve into the microbiology of some iconic festive food.
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Features
Virgin soil effect: how did European diseases impact native populations in The Americas
The so called ‘Age of Discovery’ was a period of exploration, exchanging new foods, gold and culture. However, with the exchanges between Europe and The Americas, there was also the exchange of pathogens with native populations.
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Features
Under the microscope: marine extremophiles
Extremophiles are organisms which survive in extreme conditions. They are adapted to survive in niche environments, including pressure, alkalinity, acidity and temperature. From the deep pressures of the oceans to the heat of hydrothermal vents, the sea offers a variety of unique environments, which would be lethal habitats for other ...
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Features
Under the microscope: the rhizosphere
Microorganisms have diverse roles in the rhizosphere, which can include plant nutrition, promoting growth, and inducing and/or preventing disease.
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Features
Under the microscope: Japanese encephalitis
JEV is one of the leading causes of viral encephalitis globally, widespread across Asia-Pacific and endemic in 24 countries of south and southeast Asia.
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Features
Lessons learned from microbes that stick to plastic
Lower density plastics tend to float or remain in the upper 30 meters of aquatic environments, interacting with biota in ways still being deciphered.
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Features
The climate crisis and the spread of vector-borne disease
The effects of climate change could see future global outbreaks caused by mosquito-borne arboviruses expand their current geographical spread.
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Features
A new frontier in Zika vaccine development
A milestone achievement for science in combating the Zika virus as a new vaccine trial begins in the UK.
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Features
Under the microscope: forest fungi
Explore the different roles that fungi play in our forests as well as in society.
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Features
Under the microscope: the ESKAPE pathogens
Learn about the multi-drug resistant pathogens on the World Health Organization’s list of ‘Priority Pathogens’
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Long Reads
Under the microscope: monkeypox
Human monkeypox infection is a zoonotic disease caused by monkeypox virus which belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus of the Poxviridae family
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Features
Under the microscope: langya virus
The novel zoonotic virus known as “Langya henipavirus” (LayV) was discovered in 2022.
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Features
Under the microscope: phage ecology
Recent advances in technology and culturing methods have led to the belief that phage are the most abundant biological system worldwide.