All University of Massachusetts Amherst articles
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NewsAt-home, lab-quality HIV tests awarded $1.3 million for development
A new two-year, $1.3 million award will help researchers advance a proof-of-concept work toward commercialization of at-home HIV tests sensitive enough for early diagnosis comparable to—or exceeding—lab standards.
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NewsFighting the world’s deadliest infection with PAC-MAN and AI
Researchers have developed techniques that can speed up the search for better tuberculosis drugs. They first measure which chemical compounds are able to slip across the outer membrane and then use those measurements to predict other compounds that can get into the Mtb cell.
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NewsResearchers combine bacteria and viruses to demonstrate a new way to fight cancer
Researchers have designed non-toxic Salmonella bacteria to deliver viruses that are safe to humans but potent against liver and pancreatic cancer tumors. Animal models treated with this combination of bacteria and viruses saw almost all their tumors eliminated and lived significantly longer.
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NewsColor test ‘sniffs out’ dangerous staph strains fast
Researchers have developed a rapid colour-changing test that can distinguish between different strains of golden staph, including those likely to be virulent and antibiotic resistant.
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NewsMolecular biologist Li-Jun Ma wins 2026 Mahoney Life Sciences Prize
Li-Jun Ma has been chosen as this year’s winner of the Mahoney Life Sciences Prize for her work toward mitigating the effects of a fungal pathogen that is causing the functional extinction of the bananas most commonly found in U.S. supermarkets.
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NewsFood scientists develop new antimicrobial for cleaning and sanitizing dry-food processing equipment
New research describes a novel chemical mixture for sanitation in low-moisture environments. Scientists found that a formulation containing cyclomethicone combined with vinegar-based acetic acid was the most effective against Salmonella and Cronobacter bacteria.
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NewsSoil bacteria and minerals form a natural ‘battery’ that breaks down antibiotics in the dark
Researchers have unveiled a surprising new way that soil microbes can use sunlight energy. The team developed a “bio-photovoltage soil-microbe battery” that can capture, store, and release solar energy to power the breakdown of antibiotic pollutants in the dark.
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NewsEngineers use bacterial nanowires to create first artificial neurons that could directly communicate with living cells
Engineers have created an artificial neuron with electrical functions that closely mirror those of biological ones. Using protein nanowires synthesized from electricity-generating bacteria, the discovery could herald immensely efficient computers built on biological principles.
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NewsScientists show how to grow more nutritious rice that uses less fertilizer
Scientists have shown that nanoscale applications of selenium can decrease the amount of fertilizer necessary for rice cultivation while sustaining yields, boosting nutrition, enhancing the soil’s microbial diversity and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
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NewsJie Xiao to receive 2026 Carolyn Cohen Innovation Award from The Biophysical Society
The Biophysical Society has announced that Jie Xiao, of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, USA, will receive the 2026 Carolyn Cohen Innovation Award.
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NewsAnswers to existence of alien life might be found in Earth’s deep-sea volcanoes
NASA has awarded microbiologist James Holden $621,000 to spend the next three years using his expertise to help predict what life on Jupiter’s moon Europa might look like. For that, Holden turned to an unexpected place: the volcanoes a mile beneath our own oceans.
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NewsAntimicrobial common in everyday items linked to allergic conditions in children
Researchers found that children exposed to higher levels of triclosan may be more likely to develop eczema and allergy symptoms.
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NewsTick researchers identify new strain of rickettsia bacteria that causes spotted fever infections in humans
In a residential backyard in Maine, researchers stumbled upon a surprise finding: rabbit ticks harboring a new type of bacteria related to a group of pathogens that can cause sometimes life-threatening spotted fever rickettsioses (SFR) infections in humans.
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NewsChickpea and pea tempeh under development as new plant-based protein foods
New research focuses on fermenting dry chickpeas and dry peas to create a new type of tempeh, traditionally made with soybeans. Preliminary research suggests meat alternatives may help offset the health risks of the Western diet.
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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.