Two bacterial co-cultures enhance microbe co-degradation of dicarboximide fungicides

Dicarboximide fungicides dimethachlon, iprodione and procymidone have been widely used worldwide to control plant diseases in recent decades. Due to widespread and inappropriate application of these fungicides, their residues are often found in water, soil and farm products, posing risks to the environment, wildlife and human beings. Source: Phys

Researchers take a closer look at the genomes of microbial communities in the human mouth

Bacteria often show very strong biogeography—some bacteria are abundant in specific locations while absent from others—leading to major questions when applying microbiology to therapeutics or probiotics: how did the bacteria get into the wrong place? How do we add the right bacteria into the right place when the biogeography has gotten 'out of whack'?. Source: Phys

Microbes buried at the bottom of the sea start flourishing after 80,000 years

In otherwise energetic deserts at the bottom of the sea, researchers have found oases where microbes can harvest energy. Remarkably, the microbes first have to be buried under starving conditions for 80,000 years. An international group of researchers, amongst them José Mogollón from the Insitute of Environmental Sciences (CML) at Leiden University, has published this finding in PNAS. Source: sciencedaily

Spatial maps give new view of gut microbiome

Cornell researchers developed an imaging tool to create intricate spatial maps of the locations and identities of hundreds of different microbial species, such as those that make up the gut microbiome. The tool will help scientists understand how complex communities of microorganisms interact with each other and also their environment, which is to say, us. Source: sciencedaily

Microbes help unlock phosphorus for plant growth

Phosphorus is a necessary nutrient for plants to grow. But when it's applied to plants as part of a chemical fertilizer, phosphorus can react strongly with minerals in the soil, forming complexes with iron, aluminum and calcium. This locks up the phosphorus, preventing plants from being able to access this crucial nutrient. Source: Phys

Uncovering novel genomes from Earth's microbiomes

Despite advances in sequencing technologies and computational methods in the past decade, researchers have uncovered genomes for just a small fraction of Earth's microbial diversity. Because most microbes cannot be cultivated under laboratory conditions, their genomes can't be sequenced using traditional approaches. Identifying and characterizing the planet's microbial diversity is key to understanding the roles of microorganisms in regulating nutrient cycles, as well as gaining insights into potential applications they may have in a wide range of research fields. Source: Phys

Yin and Yang: Two signaling molecules control growth and behavior in bacteria

Bacteria are considered to be true experts in survival. Their rapid adaptive response to changing environmental conditions is based, among other things, on two competing signaling molecules. As the 'Yin and Yang' of metabolic control they decide on the lifestyle of bacteria, as reported by researchers from the University of Basel. The new findings also play a role in the context of bacterial infections. Source: Phys

Resource-driven' selection identified as a purifying selective force connected to environmental nutrient availability

A pair of researchers at Rockefeller University has identified "resource-driven" selection as a purifying selective force that can be connected to environmental nutrient availability. In their paper published in the journal Science, Liat Shenhav and David Zeevi describe their study of the genetic factors at play as organisms are optimized to face environmental challenges. Martin Polz and Otto Cordero with the University of Vienna and MIT, respectively, have published a Perspective piece in the same journal issue outlining the work by the team in New York. Source: Phys

Those funky cheese smells allow microbes to 'talk' to and feed each other

Researchers at Tufts University have found that those distinctly funky smells from cheese are one way that fungi communicate with bacteria, and what they are saying has a lot to do with the delicious variety of flavors that cheese has to offer. The research team found that common bacteria essential to ripening cheese can sense and respond to compounds produced by fungi in the rind and released into the air, enhancing the growth of some species of bacteria over others. The composition of bacteria, yeast and fungi that make up the cheese microbiome is critical to flavor and quality of the cheese, so figuring out how that can be controlled or modified adds science to the art of cheese making. Source: Phys

A census of the soil microbiome

Many people have experienced the mysterious death of a houseplant. Despite ample water and sunlight, something invisible seems to happen under the soil's surface to sabotage the plant's health. Just as communities of microbes live in the human gut and influence human health, the so-called soil microbiome of bacteria and fungi intimately influences plant health starting at the root. Source: Phys

Immune protein orchestrates daily rhythm of squid-bacteria symbiotic relationship

Nearly every organism hosts a collection of symbiotic microbes—a microbiome. It is now recognized that microbiomes are major drivers of health in all animals, including humans, and that these symbiotic systems often exhibit strong daily rhythms. Source: Phys

Gut bacteria is key to bee ID

For a honey bee, few things are more important than recognizing your nestmates. Being able to tell a nestmate from an invader could mean the difference between a honey-stocked hive and a long, lean winter. Source: Phys

Marine bacteria shift between lifestyles to get the best resources

To stay, or not to stay? When it comes to nutrient resource patches, researchers from Japan and Switzerland have discovered that marine bacteria have a knack for exploiting them efficiently, timing movements between patches to get the best resources. Source: Phys

When methane-eating microbes eat ammonia instead

As a side effect of their metabolism, microorganisms living on methane can also convert ammonia. In the process, they produce nitric oxide (NO), a central molecule in the global nitrogen cycle. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen (DE), and Radboud University, Nijmegen (NL), have now discovered the enzyme that produces NO, closing an important gap in our understanding of how methanotrophs deal with rising environmental ammonia concentrations. Source: Phys

Heavy metals make soil enzymes 3 times weaker

Heavy metals suppress enzyme activity in the soil by three to 3.5 times and have especially prominent effect on the enzymes that support carbon and sulfur circulation, according to a soil scientist from RUDN, together with his colleagues from Chile, Germany, the U.K. and Venezuela. The data obtained by the team can lead to more efficient use and fertilization of agricultural lands. The results of the study were published in Science of the Total Environment. Source: Phys

Researchers develop new chip design for analyzing plant-microbe interactions

Plants interact with certain microbes, such as bacteria and fungi, in mutually beneficial ways that scientists are only beginning to fully understand. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have discovered a way to gain new insights about these interactions using a newly designed microfluidic device, a chip etched with tiny channels. This device can help support research to uncover better ways of promoting plant growth, engineering drought-resistant crops, remediating the environment and even boosting bioenergy feedstock production. Source: Phys

How changes in ancient soil microbes could predict the future of the Arctic

The researchers compared the microbial communities found in permafrost formed during the last ice age, at the end of the geological epoch known as the Pleistocene, with those at the beginning of the modern era, known as the Holocene. Source: Phys

We're using microbes to clean up toxic electronic waste – here's how

If you were to stack up all the electronic waste produced annually around the world it would weigh as much as all the commercial aircrafts ever produced, or 5,000 Eiffel towers. This is a growing "tsunami" according to the UN, and it's fed by all the phones, tablets and other electronic devices that are thrown away each day. Source: Phys

Ocean microbes could interact with pollution to influence climate

Oceans cover almost three-quarters of the globe, yet little is known about how gases and aerosols made by ocean microbes affect weather and climate, or how human-produced pollution could influence this process. Now, scientists report they've used an "ocean-in-a-lab" to show that air pollution can change the makeup of gases and aerosols that sea spray releases into the atmosphere and, in turn, potentially alter weather patterns. Source: Phys

Biodiversity loss could be making us sick – here's why

By 2050, 70% of the world's population is expected to live in towns and cities. Urban living brings many benefits, but city dwellers worldwide are seeing a rapid increase in noncommunicable health problems, such as asthma and inflammatory bowel disease. Source: Phys

Researchers develop software to find drug-resistant bacteria

Washington State University researchers have developed an easy-to-use software program to identify drug-resistant genes in bacteria. Source: Phys

Study reveals how bacteria build essential carbon-fixing machinery

Scientists from the University of Liverpool have revealed new insight into how cyanobacteria construct the organelles that are essential for their ability to photosynthesise. The research, which carried out in collaboration with the University of Science and Technology of China, has been published in PNAS. Source: Phys

Plant roots increase carbon emission from permafrost soils

A key uncertainty in climate projections is the amount of carbon emitted by thawing permafrost in the Arctic. Plant roots in soil stimulate microbial decomposition, a mechanism called the priming effect. An international research team co-lead by Frida Keuper from INRAE and Umeå University and Birgit Wild from Stockholm University shows that the priming effect alone can cause emission of 40 billion tons carbon from permafrost by 2100. The study was published today in Nature Geoscience. Source: Phys

Ultra-small, parasitic bacteria found in groundwater, moose and you

Inside your mouth right now, there is a group of bacteria whose closest relatives can also be found in the belly of a moose, in dogs, cats, and dolphins, and in groundwater deep under the Earth's surface. In a stunning discovery, scientists have found that these organisms have adapted to these incredibly diverse environments—without radically changing their genomes. Source: Phys

DNA-barcoded microbial spores can trace origin of objects, agricultural products

Every year, an estimated 48 million Americans get sick from foodborne illnesses, resulting in some 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This public health problem is compounded by billions in economic damage from product recalls, highlighting the need to rapidly and accurately determine the sources of foodborne illnesses. Source: Phys

Can microbes mine for metals?

They're microscopic miners. Some species of aquatic bacteria draw in dissolved iron from their watery environment and store it in specialized compartments called magnetosomes. They use its magnetic properties to navigate, sort of like ancient mariners using a lodestone to keep their bearings. Source: Phys

New technique pinpoints locations of individual molecules in their cellular neighborhoods

Scientists have married two of today's most powerful microscopy techniques to make images that pinpoint, for the first time, the identities and precise locations of individual proteins within the detailed context of bacterial cells. This information is crucial for learning how protein molecules work together to organize cell division and carry out other important tasks, such as enabling microbes to sniff out food and danger. Source: Phys

Bacteria are always at war. Understanding their use of weapons may lead to antibiotic alternatives

A small glimmer of light passes from one bacterium to another. Under the microscope it might not look like much, but there's a deadly battle underway: the second cell has just been hit by a poisoned spear. Source: Phys

New study shines light on mysterious giant viruses

In recent years, giant viruses have been unearthed in several of the world's most mysterious locations, from the thawing permafrost of Siberia to locations unknown beneath the Antarctic ice. But don't worry, "The Thing" is still a work of science fiction. For now. Source: Phys

COVID-19: Is the future more plastic?

Dr. Fengwei (David) Xie is currently a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellow at the International Institute for Nanocomposites Manufacturing (IINM), WMG, University of Warwick. His research focuses on "green"/bio-polymers for sustainability, environmental protection, people's better life and health. He works on developing "green" processes and "green" materials for greater resource efficiency and reduction in wastes and carbon footprints. Source: Phys

Tiny bacteria help plants shrink their booze output

Scientists have known for some time that plants are the planet's largest source of methanol, an alcohol that is highly abundant in the atmosphere. Source: Phys

Newly modeled: Minimum energy requirements for microbial communities to live

A microbial community is a complex, dynamic system composed of hundreds of species and their interactions, they are found in oceans, soil, animal guts and plant roots. Each system feeds the Earth's ecosystem and their own growth, as they each have their own metabolism that underpin biogeochemical cycles. Source: Phys

Engineered microbes can produce biodegradable plastics at lower cost and environmental impact than plant-based plastics

If you look up from your screen and glance around you, it's nearly certain that there will be something made of synthetic plastic within arm's reach (maybe even the clothing you're wearing). Humans have only been manufacturing plastics for about 100 years, but we have already produced about 8,300 million metric tons of it since the 1950s—that's roughly the weight of 25,000 Empire State Buildings. And, because the vast majority of plastics do not biodegrade, nearly all of that century's worth of plastic remains somewhere on planet Earth, from the guts of fish and seabirds to water-poisoning landfills to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. And even if we can't see them, microplastics now permeate the air we breathe and can end up in our lungs, and their health effects are not yet known. Source: Phys

Heat-friendly microbes provide efficient way to biodegrade plastic

Researchers in China have engineered a microbe that shows promise as the foundation of an efficient way to break down polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a common plastic fiber used to manufacture clothing and disposable consumer products. The researchers published their findings in Microbial Biotechnology on April 28, 2020. Source: Phys

Superoxide produces hydroxyl radicals that break down dissolved organic matter in water

According to a study published in Water Research in April 2020, superoxide produces hydroxyl radicals in lake water. Hydroxyl radicals break down poorly biodegradable organic matter such as humic substances and anthropogenic pollutants. Source: Phys

Research uncovers microbial life in radioactive waste storage sites

Hydrocarbons play key roles in atmospheric and biogeochemistry, the energy economy, and climate change. Most hydrocarbons form in anaerobic environments through high temperature or microbial decomposition of organic matter. Subsurface microorganisms can also 'eat' hydrocarbons, preventing them from reaching the atmosphere. Using a new technique, scientists show that biological hydrocarbon degradation gives a unique biological signature. These findings could help detect subsurface biology and understand the carbon cycle and its impact on climate. Source: Phys

Scientists put the heat on microbes

Hurricanes, floods, drought and fire. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent as the climate changes and can destroy entire landscapes—both visible and invisible. Source: Phys

Microbes far beneath the seafloor rely on recycling to survive

Scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution reveal how microorganisms could survive in rocks nestled thousands of feet beneath the ocean floor in the lower oceanic crust, in a study published on March 11 in Nature. The first analysis of messenger RNA—genetic material containing instructions for making different proteins—from this remote region of Earth, coupled with measurements of enzyme activities, microscopy, cultures, and biomarker analyses provides evidence of a low biomass, but diverse community of microbes that includes heterotrophs that obtain their carbon from other living (or dead) organisms. Source: Phys

Some domesticated plants ignore beneficial soil microbes

While domestication of plants has yielded bigger crops, the process has often had a negative effect on plant microbiomes, making domesticated plants more dependent on fertilizer and other soil amendments than their wild relatives. Source: Phys

How three genes rule plant symbioses

For billions of years life on Earth was restricted to aquatic environments, the oceans, seas, rivers and lakes. Then 450 million years ago the first plants colonized land, evolving in the process multiple types of beneficial relationships with microbes in the soil. Source: Phys

Unique non-oxygen breathing animal discovered

Complications of measles can include hepatitis, appendicitis, and viral meningitis, doctors warn

Right beneath the skin we all have the same bacteria

Climate change affects soil health

Fighting microbes with microbes

The intestinal commensal microbial community (or microbiota) is composed of several microorganisms that, among other functions, are beneficial for the protection against infectious agents. When the microbiota is altered many bacteria are lost, compromising the protective ability and enabling invasion by harmful bacteria. Antibiotics, despite being the best way to treat infections, can lead to changes in the microbiota and to the loss of some of these protective bacteria. Source: Phys

Researchers find ways to improve on soap and water

Nanosafety researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have developed a new intervention to fight infectious disease by more effectively disinfecting the air around us, our food, our hands, and whatever else harbors the microbes that make us sick. The researchers, from the School's Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology, were led by Associate Professor of Aerosol Physics Philip Demokritou, the center's director, and first author Runze Huang, a postdoctoral fellow there. They used a nano-enabled platform developed at the center to create and deliver tiny, aerosolized water nonodroplets containing non-toxic, nature-inspired disinfectants wherever desired. Demokritou talked to the Gazette about the invention and its application on hand hygiene, which was described recently in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering. Source: Phys

To reverse engineer dynamics of microbial communities, researchers construct their own

Scientific and public appreciation for microbes—and the key role their communal actions play in environmental health, food production, and human wellness—has grown in recent years. While initially considered to be static, uniform entities, microbial communities are highly complex and contain internal chemical swapfests that are in constant flux. Source: Phys

New study reveals the origin of complex malaria infections

New technology employing single cell genome sequencing of the parasite that causes malaria has yielded some surprising results and helps pave the way for possible new intervention strategies for this deadly infectious disease, according to Texas Biomedical Research Institute Assistant Professor Ian Cheeseman, Ph.D. Dr. Cheeseman was Principal Investigator of a three-year study published in the January 2020 edition of Cell Host & Microbe, a high-impact peer-reviewed publication. Source: Phys