Microbiology

RSS

Unlocking the Role of Antisense RNA as a Gene Expression Booster

The function of non-coding RNA in the cell has long been a mystery to researchers. Unlike coding RNA, non-coding RNA does not produce proteins – yet it exists in large quantities.

25 Jun 2024

Marine Bacteria Offers Eco-Friendly Nitrogen Source

According to recent research published in npj Sustainable Agriculture, Rhodovulum sulfidophilum, a purple photosynthetic marine bacterium, can be used to make biomass, which is a highly effective nitrogen fertilizer.

24 Jun 2024

Study Provides a New Way to Measure Healthy Microbiomes in the Gut and Soil

Focusing on four common diseases – diabetes, heart disease, depression and bowel cancer – new Flinders University research provides insights into the importance of a healthy microbiome balance in the human gut and in the environment.

22 Jun 2024

The Link Between Climate Change and Drug-Resistant Fungal Infections

In a recent study on fungal diseases in Chinese hospitals, researchers discovered that two individuals were infected by a previously undocumented fungus affecting human health.

20 Jun 2024

Scientists Discover Impact of Mycoviral Infection on Fungicide Sensitivity in Oomycete Pathogens

As detrimental as viruses may sound, they can be helping hands for farmers when it comes to dealing with plant pathogens.

20 Jun 2024

Bacterial Buckling: Filamentous Cyanobacteria Bend Under Pressure

Filamentous cyanobacteria buckle at a certain length when they encounter an obstacle. This was discovered by the research group of Stefan Karpitschka, group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization and professor at the University of Konstanz.

17 Jun 2024

New Method Offers Rapid and Accurate Blood Infection Detection

Researchers have shown that a novel method could identify bloodstream infections precisely and swiftly. The study findings were presented at ASM Microbe, the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.

17 Jun 2024

Exploring the Potential of Bacteriophages

Bacteriophages, viruses that target and destroy bacteria, are ubiquitous in the natural world. They play a crucial role in controlling microbe populations, though the mechanisms behind this regulation are not yet fully understood.

14 Jun 2024

Progress in Ingestible Microbiome Sampling Pill Technology

At the Tufts University School of Engineering, significant progress has been made in creating a tiny device that is comparable in size to a vitamin pill and can be swallowed to sample the entire population of microorganisms in a person's gastrointestinal tract.

13 Jun 2024

New Study Reveals Microbial Role in Soil Carbon Emissions

When soil microbes eat plant matter, the digested food follows one of two pathways. Either the microbe uses the food to build its own body, or it respires its meal as carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere.

12 Jun 2024

Ancient Archaea Reveal Secrets of Hydrogen Utilization

An international scientific team has redefined our understanding of archaea, a microbial ancestor to humans from two billion years ago, by showing how they use hydrogen gas.

12 Jun 2024

Virus-Like Nanoparticles Facilitate DNA Release and Host Reproduction in Streptomyces

Viruses are ubiquitous in the environment, and organisms have developed various mechanisms to counter their threat.

12 Jun 2024

Exploring the Use of Weakened Viruses for Cancer Treatment

Scientists at Northwestern Medicine have found that an attenuated virus can aid in the elimination of cancer in mice. Furthermore, mice given this virus treatment had a higher lifetime tumor-prevention rate.

12 Jun 2024

Lung Organoids Shed Light on Pseudomonas aeruginosa's Invasive Tactics

How do pathogens invade the lungs? Using human lung microtissues, a team at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel has uncovered the strategy used by a dangerous pathogen.

11 Jun 2024

Novel Lipopeptide from Serratia marcescens Shows Promise Against Staphylococcus aureus Infections

A novel antibacterial lipopeptide produced by the bacterium Serratia marcescens has been shown to be highly effective in killing Staphylococcus aureus – one of the most important pathogens occurring in humans.

7 Jun 2024

New Microscopy Reveals Secrets of SARS-CoV-2 Replication

Recent research published in Nature Communications by a Stanford University team may provide more accuracy in drug development by examining at the nanoscale how the SARS-CoV-2 virus replicates in cells.

4 Jun 2024

Azoles Trigger Two Self-Destruction Pathways in Fungi

Scientists have shown that the most common class of antifungals used worldwide induces microorganisms to self-destruct.

4 Jun 2024

Study Uncovers Fungal Self-Destruct Mechanism

Scientists have discovered that the most widely-used class of antifungals in the world cause pathogens to self-destruct.

3 Jun 2024

New Trojan Horse Virus Potentially Linked to Severe Toxoplasmosis

An international team led by researchers at the University of Toronto has found a new RNA virus that they believe is hitching a ride with a common human parasite.

3 Jun 2024

New Birnavirus Discovered in Pet Trade Zebrafish

Zebrafish in the pet trade are asymptomatic carriers of previously undescribed microbes, including a novel virus that causes hemorrhaging in infected laboratory fish, Marlen Rice from the University of Utah, US, and colleagues report in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, publishing May 23rd.

31 May 2024