Methane-eating bacteria convert greenhouse gas to fuel
Methanotrophic bacteria consume 30 million metric tons of methane per year and have captivated researchers for their natural ability to convert the potent greenhouse gas into usable fuel. Yet we know very little about how the complex reaction occurs,.....»»
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.....»»
New interactive map provides local and regional climate opinions in India
India is the most populous country in the world and is among the top 10 greenhouse gas emitters, with most emissions stemming from energy production, manufacturing, and agriculture. Yet there has been little information about the diversity of climate.....»»
Dairy nutrition is leading the sustainability charge
Research into reducing greenhouse gas emissions from livestock has increased exponentially as the dairy and agriculture sectors work together toward shared sustainability and efficiency goals. While this progress has been made in all areas of dairy s.....»»
Changing food consumers" choices may help cut greenhouse gases
Planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions associated with the global food supply chains induced by diets could fall by 17% if people change their food choices towards more plant-based diets, a new study reveals......»»
Research shows that glossy black-cockatoos prefer to feed from trees growing in acidic soils
Glossy black-cockatoos are seed-eating birds that feed almost exclusively on the cones of drooping sheoak trees. However, counter-intuitively, they select trees that grow on the poorest soils found on ancient sedimentary rocks......»»
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.....»»
Researchers find unexpectedly large methane source in overlooked landscape
When Katey Walter Anthony heard rumors of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, ballooning under the lawns of fellow Fairbanks residents, she nearly didn't believe it......»»
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.....»»
Detecting climate change using aerosols
Climate change is one of the most significant environmental challenges of present times, leading to extreme weather events, including droughts, forest fires, and floods. The primary driver of climate change is the release of greenhouse gases into the.....»»
Farm Effort to Reduce Methane Emits a Different Climate-Warming Gas
Scientists say efforts to tame methane in agriculture can spur the output of another greenhouse gas: nitrous oxide.....»»
Treatments for ‘Brain-Eating’ Amoebas Are on the Horizon
New drugs may help patients with life-threatening "brain-eating" amoeba infections.....»»
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.....»»
Double whammy antibiotic makes antibiotic resistance much harder—new study
Most antibiotics are natural products of bacteria and other microorganisms from the environment. They are part of a silent chemical warfare among microorganisms in soils, rivers and seas right now. The fact that they are natural products that have be.....»»
New research sheds light on relationships between plants and insects in forest ecosystems
U.S. Forest Service researchers and partners published new findings on how leaf-eating insects affect forest ecosystems worldwide......»»
Coinfecting viruses obstruct each other"s cell invasion
The process by which phages—viruses that infect and replicate within bacteria—enter cells has been studied for over 50 years. In a new study, researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Texas A&M University have used cutting-.....»»
New compound found to be effective against "flesh-eating" bacteria
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a novel compound that effectively clears bacterial infections in mice, including those that can result in rare but potentially fatal "flesh-eating" illnesses. The com.....»»
First 3D visualization of an aluminum nanocomposite for the auto industry
Manufacturing cars with strong, lightweight aluminum alloys rather than steel could improve fuel efficiency and extend electric vehicle range, but the material's instability at high temperatures has held the alloys back from widespread adoption......»»