All University of Massachusetts Amherst articles
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NewsScientists to explore role soil microbes play in helping hemlocks survive woolly adelgid
Scientists are investigating why some stands of Eastern hemlock are able to resist a non-native, hemlock-loving invasive species known as the hemlock woolly adelgid which is wiping out the trees throughout the East Coast of the U.S.
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NewsThe banana apocalypse is near, but biologists might have found a key to their survival
Fusarium wilt of banana is decimating the Cavendish banana—the world’s most popular commercially available banana. New research reveals that this strain did not evolve from the strain that wiped out commercial banana crops in the 1950s.
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NewsResearch aims to streamline the detection of foodborne viruses
A research team has received a USDA grant to develop rapid, portable, single-tube technology to help maintain safety of the food supply.
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NewsNew research suggests few people get sick after bite from ticks infected with Powassan virus
Scientists have published new findings on Powassan virus, reporting that people bitten by black-legged (or deer) ticks that tested positive for the virus did not show signs or symptoms of disease.
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News2,000-year-old shipworm mystery solved - its destructive skills are down to bacterial symbionts
Scientists have discovered that a population of symbiotic microbes, living in an overlooked sub-organ of the shipworm gut called the ’typhlosole’, have the ability to secrete the enzymes needed to digest lignin—the toughest part of wood.
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NewsNew testing approach improves detection of rare but emerging Powassan virus spread by deer ticks
Researchers have come up with a new, more accurate method for detecting in ticks the emerging Powassan virus, which can cause life-threatening neuroinvasive disease, including encephalitis and meningitis.
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NewsExposure to Mycobacterium seems to remodel immune response against TB
A collaborative team has uncovered how prior exposure to bacteria changes the lung’s innate immune response - and what it might mean for vaccines.
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NewsResearchers discover how to sabotage antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs’
Scientists say they have learned how to sabotage a key piece of machinery that pathogens use to infect their host cells, and have developed a test to identify the next-generation drugs to target this vulnerable cellular machinery.
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NewsMicrobial slime layer can be unlocked with oxalic acid
The extracellular matrix of some microbes only gels when oxalic acid or other simple acids are present.
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NewsBumblebee superfood battles gut pathogen - and boosts queen bee production
Two new papers show that the spiny pollen from plants in the sunflower family (Asteraceae) both reduces infection of a common bee parasite by 81–94% and markedly increases the production of queen bumble bees.
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NewsWhite-tailed deer blood kills bacteria that causes Lyme disease
The blood of the white-tailed deer kills the corkscrew-shaped bacterium that causes Lyme disease, a potentially debilitating illness.
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NewsBeneficial bacteria in the infant gut use nitrogen from breast milk to support baby’s health
Beneficial microbes in the gut of infants use nitrogen from human milk to support paediatric nutrition and development.
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NewsLong-term projects reveal how warming planet will impact microbe carbon cycling
A team of researchers led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst has helped to untangle one of the knottiest questions involving soil microbes and climate change: what effect does a warming planet have on the microbes’ carbon cycling?
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NewsLiquid-coated air filter inspired by carnivorous plant can improve early capture of airborne pathogens
Researchers have designed a new liquid-coated air filter that allows for improved early detection and analysis of airborne bacteria and viruses, including the one that causes COVID-19.
