Microbiology

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Fly larvae extract could protect plants from pathogenic bacteria

Biotechnologists from MIPT have developed a method for extracting the active constituents from the fat of black soldier fly larvae.

6 Oct 2020

Study finds how the malaria parasite can withstand fever's heat

Even when a person suffering from malaria is burning up with fever and too sick to function, the tiny blood-eating parasites lurking inside them continue to flourish, relentlessly growing and multiplying as they gobble up the host's red blood cells.

6 Oct 2020

Gut microbial development could be restored in C-section infants by fecal microbiota transplant

The human gut contains a diverse ecosystem of microbes: mainly bacteria, as well as viruses and fungi, termed the gut microbiota.

5 Oct 2020

Researchers identify small molecules that target a structure within SARS-CoV-2 genome

SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that is responsible for causing COVID-19. This pathogen has now crippled economies, health care systems, and everyday lives across the world.

5 Oct 2020

Fungus in some organic pesticides can cause severe cob rot in maize

Protecting crops against pests and diseases is essential to ensure secure food supply. Around 95 percent of the food comes from conventional agriculture, which uses chemical pesticides to keep crops healthy. Increasingly, however, organic pesticides are also being sought as an alternative.

1 Oct 2020

Researchers identify new mechanism that protects against Salmonella infection

Mice study has revealed a formerly unknown interaction between an immune cell protein and molecules extracted from dietary fiber.

30 Sep 2020

Gut bacteria may play a role in the treatment of prostate cancer

New research shows how the gut microbiome communicates with an oral drug in prostate cancer patients.

30 Sep 2020

Researchers identify a new method to synthesize miniaturized antibodies

Scientists have identified a new method to synthesize miniaturized antibodies, paving the way for a promising new class of therapies for various diseases.

From University of Bath 30 Sep 2020

Study offers clues to optimize defense tactics against viruses

Science's pursuits of unraveling how human cells fight viral infections kicked into high gear in 2020 with the devastating emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

30 Sep 2020

Researchers sequence the genome of original penicillin strain

For the first time, scientists have sequenced the genome of Alexander Fleming’s penicillin mould and compared it to the later models.

25 Sep 2020

Researchers discover how antibiotic resistance genes spread via plasmids

For the first time, researchers have discovered how antibiotic resistance genes are spreading, at a continental scale, via bacterial plasmids in the hospital superbug, Klebsiella pneumoniae.

25 Sep 2020

A new method to fish out Y chromosome molecules from microbial DNA

In 1997, the very first Neanderthal DNA sequence - just a small part of the mitochondrial genome - was determined from an individual discovered in the Neander Valley, Germany, in 1856.

25 Sep 2020

New antibodies could form the basis of a broad-spectrum flu drug

Researchers have identified two antibodies that protect mice against lethal infections of influenza B virus, report scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

25 Sep 2020

Scientists uncover new parvovirus strategy for reaching the cell nucleus

Researchers at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique, in collaboration with American scientists, have uncovered a new parvovirus strategy for reaching the cell nucleus which is their site of replication.

25 Sep 2020

A new formula to make safe fermented milk products

A research project headed by the Technical University of Denmark, DTU, has come up with the formula for a freeze-dried starter culture that African camel milk farmers can use to make safe, fermented milk products.

24 Sep 2020

Novel framework reveals ecological drivers of microbial community assembly in response to warming

Researchers from the OU Institute for Environmental Genomics and Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology lead a study that aims to better understand ecological community assembly mechanisms in response to climate warming.

23 Sep 2020

Research project to explore the impact of global warming on fungi species

Scientists from universities in the UK, US and Argentina are joining forces in a $1m research project to discover what impact an increase in global temperatures could have on the millions of species of fungi around the world.

From Northumbria University 23 Sep 2020

Scientists uncover new pathway to protect plants from fungal infection

Widespread fungal disease in plants can be controlled with a commercially available chemical that has been primarily used in medicine until now. This discovery was made by scientists from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the University of the State of Paraná in Brazil.

23 Sep 2020

Lifeforms likely used arsenic before oxygen was present on planet Earth

Much of life on planet Earth today relies on oxygen to exist, but before oxygen was present on our blue planet, lifeforms likely used arsenic instead.

23 Sep 2020

Escherichia coli bacteria show path to speed up photosynthesis

Cornell University scientists have engineered a key plant enzyme and introduced it in Escherichia coli bacteria in order to create an optimal experimental environment for studying how to speed up photosynthesis, a holy grail for improving crop yields.

22 Sep 2020