Mites News and Research

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Uncovering Plant Discrimination and Dose Responses to Beneficial Soil Microbes

For years, beneficial Bacillus bacteria have been used to promote plant growth and protect crops, yet most studies treat these microbes as functionally interchangeable.

28 Jul 2026

Study: Genetically Engineered CAR T Cells Suppress the Immune System’s Response to Allergen

Genetically engineered CAR T cells expressing artificial receptor proteins are increasingly used in the clinic to boost the immune system's response against leukemias and other cancers.

7 Jul 2026

Evolutionary Biology Unlocks Secret Toxins Hidden Inside Poison Dart Frogs

There is a group of colorful amphibians that are known for storing defensive alkaloids in glands on their skin.

16 Jun 2026

Bacteria Hijack Cellular Processes in Ticks to Survive and Spread

Washington State University researchers have discovered how the bacteria that cause anaplasmosis and Lyme disease hijack cellular processes in ticks to ensure their survival and spread to new hosts, including humans.

1 Jul 2025

Genome Dynamics Reveals the Keys to Long-Term Survival in an Asexual Mite

An international group of researchers at the University of Cologne have explored the asexual reproduction of oribatid mites using genome sequencing methods.

27 Jan 2025

Comparative Genomics Identifies a Novel Gene Involved in Spider Patterning

An ancient gene is crucial for the development of the distinctive waist that divides the spider body plan in two, according to a study publishing August 29th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Emily Setton from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, US, and colleagues.

30 Aug 2024

Mitochondrial DNA 'Jumps' to Chromosomes, Potentially Impacting Lifespan

As direct descendants of ancient bacteria, mitochondria have always been a little alien.

23 Aug 2024

Honeybees Contribute to Bumble Bee Virus Prevalence

Honey bees might contribute to rising virus levels in wild bumble bees each spring, according to Penn State researchers who studied seasonal patterns of parasite and virus transmission in bees.

22 Aug 2024

Scientists Identify Gene Region that Fuels Asthma Inflammation

Pollen and house dust mites are two common allergens that cause respiratory distress in asthma patients. But type-2 helper T (Th2) cells and group-2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) release a class of proteins known as type-2 cytokines in response to a variety of asthma triggers. GATA-binding protein 3 (GATA3) is essential for the maturation of Th2 and ILC2.

25 Jun 2024

QIAGEN Announces Partnership With Penn State University to Advance Microbiome Sciences

QIAGEN (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced a first-in-kind collaboration with Penn State University in the United States to create a shared research and education facility for the fast-developing microbiome sciences.

From Qiagen 27 Jan 2024

Static Electricity Causes Ticks to be Attracted to Hosts

Researchers at the University of Bristol have found that ticks could be drawn across air gaps several times larger than themselves by the static electricity that naturally builds up on their hosts.

3 Jul 2023

Unraveling Brood Parasitism in Predatory Mites

Many animal species add their eggs to the brood of other species to benefit from the latter’s brood care. This is called brood parasitism. Researchers recently studied brood parasitism in two predatory mite species and found that the parasite mite adds its eggs to the host eggs only under the threat of egg predators but not otherwise.

7 Jun 2023

Plant roots drive soil animal communities in the tropics, study shows

A research team led by the University of Göttingen has shed new light on the importance of plant roots for belowground life, particularly in the tropics.

8 Mar 2023

Researchers evaluate a new virus variant that hovers bees worldwide

A hazardous strain of the deformed wing virus is spreading over the world. Honeybees are infected with the virus, which causes their wings to atrophy and the animals to die. The new form of the virus, which has already displaced the original strain in Europe, is expanding to other parts of the globe and destroying entire bee colonies.

2 Jun 2022

Research may help to predict honeybee adaptation to environmental factors

Researchers at Greece’s B.S.R.C. “Alexander Fleming” has perfected a method for identifying DNA traces in honey, indicating the species with which honeybees interact.

27 May 2022

Researchers introduce CRISPR to enable gene editing in cockroaches

According to a study released by Cell Press on May 16th, 2022, in the journal Cell Reports Methods, scientists have created a CRISPR-Cas9 technique to facilitate gene editing in cockroaches.

23 May 2022

Discovery of biological response platform may hold the keys to helping people manage allergies

New discoveries about a built-in rapid reaction system that triggers inflammatory responses when people are exposed to allergens, such as insects, mites, and fungi, also may hold the keys to helping more people manage their allergies in years to come.

17 Sep 2021