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Previously Unknown Group of Bacteria Plays Key Role in the Ocean's Energy Cycle

A team of international researchers led by Federico Baltar of the University of Vienna and José M González of the University of La Laguna has identified a previously unknown group of bacteria, called UBA868, as key players in the energy cycle of the deep ocean.

26 Apr 2023

Novel method quantifies the total polysulfide content in fresh vegetables

Sulfur-rich foods, like onions and garlic, have long been recognized to have health-promoting properties. It has been difficult to investigate how food containing sulfur compounds enhances health because the levels—and types—of reactive polysulfides found in various vegetables have not been adequately assessed.

14 Mar 2023

Scientists reveal mechanisms behind oxygen toxicity

When it comes to oxygen, you can have too much of a good thing. Breathing air that contains higher levels of oxygen than the usual 21 percent found in Earth's atmosphere can cause organ damage, seizures, and even death in people and animals, particularly if it's in excess of the body's oxygen needs. Until now, however, scientists have mostly speculated about the mechanisms behind this phenomenon, known as oxygen toxicity, or hyperoxia.

9 Mar 2023

"Poisoned" form of a protein could set off events that encourage cancer growth

Scientists at Scripps Research, with collaborators in Japan, have discovered how a "poisoned" form of a protein could set off a cascade of events that encourage the growth of some cancers.

17 Feb 2023

Study sheds new light on a lifestyle switch that occurs in marine bacteria

Scientists have detailed a lifestyle switch that occurs in marine bacteria, where they change from coexisting with algae hosts in a mutually beneficial interaction to suddenly killing them.

25 Jan 2023

How do methanogens grow on toxic sulfite?

Methanogens are microbes that produce methane when there is little or no oxygen in their surroundings.

From The Max Planck Institute 20 Jan 2023

Iron-sulfur cofactors are moved with the help of glutathione, experts reveal

The creation and movement of an essential class of molecules in human cells are now better understood according to a recent study.

8 Sep 2022

Microorganisms mediate Sphagnum peatmoss resilience to warming

Microorganisms may provide hope that peatlands can withstand hotter temperatures in a changing climate.

10 Jun 2022

Understanding how genetic and environmental factors affect lentil crops

Lentils are an important and popular food in many parts of the world. They are also a nutritional powerhouse.

4 May 2022

Study shows the importance of fluid flow in shaping the composition, activity of hydrothermal microbes

Most visitors to Paliochori Beach on the Greek island Milos may not be aware of the bay's shallow-water hydrothermal community, a veritable Greek salad of microbes, that is within snorkeling distance from the shoreline.

25 Apr 2022

Plants rely on essential nutrients to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle

If a plant decided to go on a diet, what do you think it would choose to be as healthy as possible? It turns out that plants, like humans, rely on essential nutrients to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

5 Apr 2022

Microbial fertilizer factory on the Earth's seafloor helped support complex life

Scientists reveal a new part of the recipe for complex life on planets, and it involves the onset of a microbial fertilizer factory on the Earth's seafloor roughly 2.6 billion years ago.

11 Mar 2022

Researchers identify protein switch that regulates enzymes in pathogens

Proteins are the “workhorses” of all living cells and are the chemical foundation of life.

22 Feb 2022

New study deepens the understanding of microbial sulfur metabolism

The metabolism of sulfur compounds is among the most important microbial processes sustaining life in many anoxic environments where oxygen is not present.

18 Feb 2022

Substances from marine plants show promising results against Covid, says study

According to research by the University of the West of Scotland, antiviral drugs can be produced from earlier overlooked substances seen in marine plants.

17 Nov 2021

Dimethyl sulfide emitted from the sea can never help in the formation of new clouds, study reveals

Stand on the ocean's shore and take a big whiff of the salt spray and you'll smell the unmistakably pungent scent of the sea. That ripe, almost rotting smell? That's sulfur.

12 Oct 2021

New research uncovers the secrets of healthy soil in greater detail

Soils, like people, can be healthy or unhealthy. We've recently learned how important the microbes inside our bodies are to human health. Likewise, soil health depends on a complex group of microbes. These bacteria and fungi recycle nutrients and prepare the soils to better support plants.

7 Oct 2021