Lower tillage boosts the soil’s natural phosphorus cycle - cutting the need for costly fertilizer inputs
Long-term tillage reduction helps to restore the soil’s natural phosphorus cycle, supporting more sustainable nutrient management with less reliance on costly and finite fertilizer inputs, according to a new study published in Sustainable Microbiology.
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The world’s fermented foods in health and history
The use of microbes in food fermentation dates back thousands of years; archaeological evidence suggests that fermented beverages such as rice wine were produced in China as early as 7000 BC, while bread and beer were staples in ancient Egypt.
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Yeast-plant interactions: nature’s silent partnership for ecosystems and agriculture
Plant–microbe interaction studies have increased greatly in recent years. This sharp increase in studies is attributed to the need to better understand these interactions, which in turn can be used to enhance crop productivity and stress tolerance, reduce fertilizer inputs, and improve plant health. This is vital to meet the ...
From roots to riches: mycorrhizal fungi and the future of farming
Feeding a growing population while rebuilding depleted soils is one of agriculture’s biggest challenges. When fungal networks are thriving, they can improve nutrient uptake, support stronger root systems, and reduce the need for fuels to stretch as far, with their input. It’s a small-scale partnership with big implications for the future of farming…
Gut microbiome and obesity: what we know - and what we don’t
Dysbiosis is defined as an imbalance in the composition and function of the gut microbiota. This imbalance can lead to dysregulated interactions within the bacterial community and between microbes and the host, and it can be associated with disease states. However, discussions of dysbiosis often rely on simplified dichotomies, such ...
Under the Lens video series
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 2
In our second episode, Dr Callum Cooper joins Professor Emmanuel Adukwu to talk about all things bacteriophage, from alternatives to antibiotics, social impact, and regulation.
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 1
In our first episode, Professor Raquel Peixoto joins Professor Jack Gilbert for a deep dive into coral reefs, microbes, and the future of our planet.
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 2
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 1
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Listeria: the inconvenient truth that shaped our industry
Director General of the Chilled Food Association, Karin Goodburn MBE, who sits on AMI’s Food Security Advisory Group, reveals why the publication of new Listeria guidance for the UK food industry is regarded as a landmark moment.
We couldn’t get people interested in science - until we started speaking their language
In 2020, Puerto Rico faced a misinformation crisis. Melanie Ortiz Alvarez De La Campa reveals how five STEM undergraduates created a sci-comm organization that helped pass legislation, educated thousands, and created an inclusive database of Caribbean scientists.
The politics behind the global divide in bacteriophage therapy
The therapeutic potential of bacteriophages (or ‘phages’) has been widely dismissed for decades in the West, despite being regularly used to treat patients worldwide in the early and mid-20th century. In an age rife with disinformation, can the true potential of clinical phage technology be communicated to a public already uneasy about scientific intervention?
Summer Studentship: novel antivirals and host-virus interactions
Jessica Harris reports back on her Summer Studentship at De Montfort University, and her research into how plant-derived compounds affect viruses, and whether combining these antivirals might increase viral inhibition.
The National Collection of Pathogenic Viruses (NCPV): a critical resource for virology and public health
It’s now 25 years since the National Collection of Pathogenic Viruses (NCPV) was founded as a dedicated, secure, and relevant national virus repository for the UK. Jane Burton, Teresa Ramalho and Tilly Maybery explore how the collection has evolved - and is tackling future global health concerns.
A day in the life of a soil microbial ecologist
Dr. Taniya RoyChowdhury, a soil microbial ecologist and biogeochemist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, describes a typical day.
New insights into how bacteria control DNA synthesis open the door to next generation antimicrobials
A new study combines structural biology, biophysical characterisation and functional assays to delineate how the bacterial transcriptional regulator NrdR’s quaternary structure responds to different nucleotide states and how these changes affect its regulatory activity.
Missed opportunity: Study shows low vaccination rates among expectant mothers in Norway against COVID-19 and influenza
A study of over 50,000 pregnant women in Norway during the 2023/24 influenza season found that only 29.9% were vaccinated against influenza and 12.1% against COVID-19 during pregnancy, remaining far below recommended targets.
Newly discovered virus linked to colorectal cancer
Researchers have discovered a previously undescribed virus in a common gut bacterium, Bacteroides fragilis. The virus appears more frequently in patients with colorectal cancer.
Food security
Hope for global banana farming in genetic discovery
Scientists have pinpointed crucial genetic resistance to fight a fungal disease which threatens the global banana supply in a wild subspecies of the fruit. The team have identified the genomic region that controls resistance to Fusarium wilt Sub Tropical Race 4 (STR4).
Clean Water
Lower tillage boosts the soil’s natural phosphorus cycle - cutting the need for costly fertilizer inputs
Long-term tillage reduction helps to restore the soil’s natural phosphorus cycle, supporting more sustainable nutrient management with less reliance on costly and finite fertilizer inputs, according to a new study published in Sustainable Microbiology.
Researchers discover novel bacteria in Florida’s stranded pygmy sperm whales
Researchers have identified three previously unknown genotypes of Helicobacter bacteria living inside stranded pygmy sperm whales. The study represents the first documented occurrence of these unique Helicobacter genotypes – now designated Kogia Helicobacter 1, 2 and 3 – in pygmy sperm whales.
