Toxins News and Research

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Soil Bacteria Use Umbrella Toxins to Fight Back

Scientists have found that soil bacteria called Streptomyces secrete toxic protein particles in the shape of umbrellas that are meant to suppress competitors, particularly those that belong to their species.

18 Apr 2024

Using Genomic Methods to Track Pesticide Resistance

Pesticides are used by farmers to manage agricultural pests. However, pesticide-resistant insects frequently become immune to their toxins.

19 Mar 2024

Study Deciphers Mechanism That Helps Viruses Choose to Turn Nasty or Stay Friendly

Researchers from the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research at Tel Aviv University have deciphered a novel complex decision-making process that helps viruses choose to turn nasty or stay friendly to their bacterial host.

14 Mar 2024

New Research Highlights Gut's Role in Preventing Infections

According to a study published in the journal Nature, gut bacteria and a diet high in the amino acid tryptophan can protect against pathogenic E. coli, which can cause severe upset stomach, cramps, fever, intestinal bleeding, and renal failure.

14 Mar 2024

Newly Discovered Bacterial Species Shed Light on Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic-resistant infection is projected to catch up to cancer as the leading cause of death by 2050, making understanding and limiting the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria a priority worldwide.

1 Mar 2024

Cyanobacteria as a Key Ingredient in Sustainable Protein-Rich Foods

We all know that we ought to eat less meat and cheese and dig into more plant-based foods. But whilst perusing the supermarket cold display and having to choose between animal-based foods and more climate-friendly alternative proteins, our voices of reason don't always win.

28 Feb 2024

Herts Awarded Its Biggest Ever Research Grant to Develop Biodetection Technologies Against Harmful, Airborne Pathogens

The University of Hertfordshire has been awarded £13.5million – its biggest ever research grant – to expand and progress its sector-leading, research-led development of biodetection technologies against harmful, airborne pathogens.

17 Jan 2024

Algal Blooms May Pose More Health Risks Than Previously Thought

Florida's 156-mile-long Indian River Lagoon (IRL) borders five different counties and has five inlets that connect the lagoon with the Atlantic Ocean.

16 Jan 2024

National Korea Maritime and Ocean University Researchers Explore the Impact of Microplastics and Toxin Exposure on Goldfish

Microplastic particles can travel long distances in oceans and are known to carry with them harmful and persistent organic pollutants like benzo[α]pyrene (BaP), a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon.

11 Jan 2024

Bacterial “Barcode” Deciphers the Fate of Proteins, Impacting Pathogen Behavior

Researchers at McMaster University have found a molecular “barcode” system that pathogenic bacteria use to identify harmful from beneficial molecules.

9 Jan 2024

Novel Peptides from South American Bushmaster and Pit Viper

The venom of the South American bushmaster, a resident of tropical rainforests, and the pit viper Cotiara, which lives in southern Brazil, both contain fragments of hemorrhagic toxins that may be used to treat high blood pressure.

8 Jan 2024

Toxic Plant Toxin Gets a Safety Upgrade for New Drugs and Pesticides

Picrotoxinin, a plant-derived toxin that Asian fishermen traditionally have used to paralyze and catch fish, has long been seen as a possible starting point for new human therapeutics and other neuroactive products.

26 Dec 2023

New Insights Into the Microbiome's Influence on Kidney Stone Risk

A new study from Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University published in the journal Microbiome has found changes in the microbiome in multiple locations in the body are linked to the formation of kidney stones.

21 Dec 2023

Exploring How Climate Change Could Impact Our Brain Function in the Future

A new element of the catastrophic impacts of climate change is emerging – how global warming is impacting the human brain.

14 Nov 2023

New Modular Nanoparticle Technology Opens the Door to a Variety of Therapeutic Approaches

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed modular nanoparticles that can be easily customized to target different biological entities such as tumors, viruses or toxins.

31 Oct 2023

Researchers Sequence the Entire Genetic Code of Possums

In a five-year long study, just published in Nature Communications, an international group of researchers led by the University of Otago, has assembled the entire genetic code of the marsupial mammal.

18 Oct 2023

New Findings Suggest Endosymbiotic Origin of Apoptosis

Apoptosis, frequently described as programmed cell death, is a fundamental mechanism essential for the growth and development of multicellular organisms.

13 Oct 2023

A New Toxin from Aetokthonos hydrillicola Shows Potential Anticancer Properties

The cyanobacterium Aetokthonos hydrillicola has been found to produce not one, but two highly potent toxins.

27 Sep 2023

New Mechanism of Cannibalism Discovered in Bacillus velezensis SQR9

When considering a bacterial population as a multicellular community, it is imperative to understand the inherent roles of maintaining homeostasis and viability in response to environmental factors.

3 Aug 2023