Harmful bacteria can elude predators when in mixed colonies
Efforts to fight disease-causing bacteria by harnessing their natural predators could be undermined when multiple species occupy the same space, according to a study by Dartmouth College researchers......»»
New research shows agricultural impacts on soil microbiome and fungal communities
New research from Smithsonian's Bird Friendly Coffee program highlights a type of biodiversity that often gets overlooked: soil bacteria and fungal communities. For over twenty years, Smithsonian research has shown that coffee farms with shade trees.....»»
New genetic analysis of Lyme disease-causing bacteria could improve diagnosis and treatment
A genetic analysis of Lyme disease bacteria may pave the way for improved diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the tick-borne ailment......»»
Wildfires are increasing toxic mercury in streams in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, study finds
Wildfires have been burning across Idaho this summer, and their list of harmful impacts is long, from worsening health conditions because of smoke to challenges recovering millions in costs to fight them......»»
Surprise finding in study of environmental bacteria could advance search for better antibiotics
In what they labeled a "surprising" finding, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers studying bacteria from freshwater lakes and soil say they have determined a protein's essential role in maintaining the germ's shape. Because the integrity of a bacterial.....»»
Could manure and compost act like probiotics, reducing antibiotic resistance in urban soils?
Urban soils often contain chemical contaminants, such as heavy metals or trace amounts of antibiotics, along with higher levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. New research from the University of Maryland suggests that, in some cases, boosting urba.....»»
City birds found to be carriers of antimicrobial resistant bacteria
Research led by scientists at the Ineos Oxford Institute for antimicrobial research at Oxford University has found that wild birds such as ducks and crows living close to humans, for example in cities, are likely to carry bacteria with antimicrobial.....»»
Newly discovered ability of comammox bacteria could help reduce nitrous oxide emissions in agriculture
An international research team led by the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CeMESS) at the University of Vienna has discovered that comammox bacteria, first identified by them in 2015, can grow using guanidine, a nitrogen-ric.....»»
Some solitary mammals have surprisingly social lives: What one researcher has learned from a tiny south African rodent
We probably all know someone who lives a solitary life. But not everyone realizes that there are solitary individuals in the animal kingdom, too. Examples of solitary species are some shrews, and large predators, such as black bears (Ursus americanus.....»»
Findings reveal eurypterids evolved giant size independently at least nine times
Sea scorpions, ancient predators that patrolled Earth's marine and freshwater habitats hundreds of millions of years ago, are the focus of a sizable scientific mystery......»»
AI enhances chemical analysis at the nanoscale
EPFL scientists have developed an AI-based technique to improve the chemical analysis of nanomaterials, overcoming challenges of noisy data and mixed signals......»»
"Wake-up call to humanity": Research shows the Great Barrier Reef is the hottest it"s been in 400 years
The Great Barrier Reef is vast and spectacular. But repeated mass coral bleachings, driven by high ocean temperatures, are threatening the survival of coral colonies which are the backbone of the reef......»»
Bacteria encode hidden genes outside their genome; do we?
Since the genetic code was first deciphered in the 1960s, our genes have seemed like an open book. By reading and decoding our chromosomes as linear strings of letters, like sentences in a novel, we can identify the genes in our genome and learn why.....»»
How feeding birds may be polluting local environments
New research led by an NAU alumnus shows that backyard bird feeders, although put out with the best of intentions, is changing the chemistry of local ecosystems, including introducing a potentially harmful amount of phosphorus into the environment......»»
Predicting metabolic potential in bacteria from limited genome data
How bacteria eat food, and what kinds of products they can make from that food, is dictated by the metabolic network of enzyme patterns encoded in their genomes. Using computational methods to learn these patterns across a large number of known bacte.....»»
More evidence on the dangerous attitudes of men who ogle
A new Edith Cowan University (ECU) study has provided further evidence that men who frequently stare at women's bodies, rather than their faces, are more likely to harbor harmful attitudes and show tendencies that may lead to sexual assault......»»
Smells may prime our gut to fight off infection
Many organisms react to the smell of deadly pathogens by reflexively avoiding them. But a recent study from the University of California, Berkeley, shows that the nematode C. elegans also reacts to the odor of pathogenic bacteria by preparing its int.....»»
Researchers create new device for on-the-spot water testing
Researchers at University of Galway have developed a new, portable technology for on-the-spot testing of water quality to detect one of the most dangerous types of bacteria......»»
New nasal microbiome: Depriving multi-resistant bugs of iron
A research team led by Simon Heilbronner, Professor of Microbiology at LMU's Biocenter, has investigated how various bacteria that colonize the nasal cavity deal with the lack of iron there and interact with one another......»»
Bacterial gut diversity improves the athletic performance of racehorses
The composition of gut bacteria of thoroughbred racehorses at one month old can predict their future athletic performance, according to a new study from the University of Surrey. In the study, foals with lower bacterial diversity at 28 days old also.....»»
A new way of thinking about the economy could help protect the Amazon, and help its people thrive
To protect the Amazon and support the well-being of its people, its economy must shift from environmentally harmful production to a model built around the diversity of indigenous and rural communities, and standing forests......»»