Microbiome News and Research

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Marine plankton samples can help understand the link between ocean pollution and chronic illnesses

Using samples from an almost century-old, ongoing survey of marine plankton, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine suggest that rising levels of manmade chemicals found in parts of the world's oceans might be used to monitor the impact of human activity on ecosystem health, and may one day be used to study the connections between ocean pollution and land-based rates of childhood and adult chronic illnesses.

9 Jan 2023

What are the implications of microbiome-directed measures to treat type 2 diabetes?

According to preliminary findings from an ongoing, prospective study headed by Cedars-Sinai researchers, one type of bacteria seen in the gut might contribute to the development of Type 2 diabetes, while another might guard against the condition.

5 Jan 2023

Empire apples improve the intestinal health of production broilers

An apple a day may keep the livestock veterinarian away. Juice, pulp and other waste from Empire apples, when injected into chicken eggs before hatching, show signs of boosting the animal's intestinal health, according to Cornell research.

14 Dec 2022

Pill-shaped ingestible biosensing system enables continuous monitoring in the intestinal environment

Engineering researchers have developed a battery-free, pill-shaped ingestible biosensing system designed to provide continuous monitoring in the intestinal environment.

6 Dec 2022

Figuring out how immune cells prevent cognitive decline

Could Alzheimer’s disease and other types of cognitive decline be caused by the underproduction of immune cells that are poorly understood? It might, according to a Rutgers study published in Nature Immunology, and increasing these cells could undo the harm.

From Rutgers University 1 Dec 2022

Acute infection disrupts the healthy balance between the good and bad gut microbes

Rutgers researchers examined the impact of COVID-19 on patients’ microbiomes, the group of microbes that live in and on the human body.

From Rutgers University 30 Nov 2022

Exploring behavioral variation in a non-captive animal population

For the first time, researchers demonstrate that monkeys with a more social nature—those that groom or are groomed more frequently and with more grooming partners—have a better gut microbiome.

15 Nov 2022

More sociable monkeys have higher abundance of friendly gut microbes

More sociable monkeys have a higher abundance of certain beneficial gut bacteria, and a lower abundance of potentially disease-causing bacteria, new research has found.

15 Nov 2022

UO research in zebrafish shows a gut-brain link that influences social behavior

To learn to socialize, zebrafish need to trust their gut. Gut microbes encourage specialized cells to prune back extra connections in brain circuits that control social behavior, new UO research in zebrafish shows.

10 Nov 2022

Short-term tomato consumption alters gut bacteria toward a more favorable profile

Two weeks of eating a diet heavy in tomatoes increased the diversity of gut microbes and altered gut bacteria toward a more favorable profile in young pigs, researchers found.

9 Nov 2022

“Screen-first” approach mines microbes directly from the environment

The best method now available for researchers to isolate a specific microorganism with a given metabolic function from an environment is to collect a sample of cells, culture them, and then test them for the desired cell functions.

4 Nov 2022

New method reveals how photosynthetic microalgae interact with their environment

Microalgae are algae too small to see with the human eye that live in both fresh and sea water. They are responsible for half of fixation of carbon that occurs on Earth through photosynthesis.

2 Nov 2022

Bacteria do engage in photosynthesis, research suggests

Knowing whether or not marine microbes engage in photosynthesis -; the use of sunlight to turn carbon dioxide and water into energy -; could help scientists to learn if ocean bacteria play a role in the global carbon cycle.

25 Oct 2022

Saving ocean habitats with newer genomic technologies

In an essay published on October 17th, 2022 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, Madeleine van Oppen of the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the University of Melbourne and Melinda Coleman of the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries argue that genetic and genomic technologies have tremendous potential for protecting marine life but are currently underutilized.

20 Oct 2022

Dual threat may lead cyanobacteria to take in more carbon

The types of ocean bacteria known to absorb carbon dioxide from the air require more energy – in the form of carbon – and other resources when they're simultaneously infected by viruses and face attack from nearby predators, new research has found.

19 Oct 2022

Bacterial warfare in the gut can have collateral beneficial effects

Nearly ten years ago, a graduate student at UO Jennifer Hampton Hill stumbled upon something fortunate: a peptide produced by gut bacteria that prompted the division of cells that make insulin.

17 Oct 2022

Gut microbiome’s influence on how lifestyle affects dementia risk

A recent Baycrest study points to the possibility that the gut microbiome influences how nutrition and exercise impact brain health and dementia risk. Physicians and researchers could be able to improve dementia prevention efforts with the use of this knowledge.

13 Oct 2022

New technique identifies tumor-associated microbes

Researchers from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health investigated the microbiome of pancreatic tumors and discovered certain microbes linked to inflammation and poor survival.

From Rutgers University 12 Oct 2022

Spores integrate environmental signals over time

When exposed to starvation and stress, certain bacteria enter a dormant state in which life functions cease. These cells, known as spores, can resist punishing extremes of heat, pressure, and even the extreme conditions of outer space by entering a profound hibernation.

7 Oct 2022

Microbiome manipulation to prevent and cure diseases

Tagbo Niepa, assistant professor of chemical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, is inspired by this possibility in his research. His work on using the microbiome to enhance human health was recognized with a $2 million New Innovator Award from the National Institutes of Health, which funds “exceptionally creative scientists proposing high-risk, high-impact research.”

From University of Pittsburgh 5 Oct 2022