Microbiology

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Atypical antibody shows extremely potent zika-resistant activity

A group of researchers led by Weill Cornell Medicine, New York-Presbyterian, and National Institutes of Health (NIH) investigators has discovered an unusual type of antibody that, even at extremely low concentrations, neutralizes the Zika virus and renders the virus infection undetectable in preclinical models.

22 Nov 2022

HIV’s covert methods of evading treatment and immunity

According to Duke Health researchers, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) appears to be driven into a latent state, lurking in cells only to erupt once more. This immune response likely evolved to help fight infections.

15 Nov 2022

Exploring behavioral variation in a non-captive animal population

For the first time, researchers demonstrate that monkeys with a more social nature—those that groom or are groomed more frequently and with more grooming partners—have a better gut microbiome.

15 Nov 2022

More sociable monkeys have higher abundance of friendly gut microbes

More sociable monkeys have a higher abundance of certain beneficial gut bacteria, and a lower abundance of potentially disease-causing bacteria, new research has found.

15 Nov 2022

Researchers naturally breed new varieties of popcorn with improved taste, texture and prebiotics

A Nebraska-led coming attraction may soon pop into a global blockbuster. Through a decade-long project supported by Conagra Foods, a University of Nebraska–Lincoln research team led by David Holding has naturally bred new varieties of popcorn that outperform today's most popular kernels in their intrinsic nutritional value and taste.

14 Nov 2022

UO research in zebrafish shows a gut-brain link that influences social behavior

To learn to socialize, zebrafish need to trust their gut. Gut microbes encourage specialized cells to prune back extra connections in brain circuits that control social behavior, new UO research in zebrafish shows.

10 Nov 2022

Recognizing how the HIV-1 evades immune system

According to a recent study led by Andrés Finzi, a professor at the Université de Montréal and researcher at the CHUM Research Centre, the type of virus used as a model to study the effectiveness of non-neutralizing antibodies against the virus that causes AIDS, has a crucial role to play.

10 Nov 2022

Short-term tomato consumption alters gut bacteria toward a more favorable profile

Two weeks of eating a diet heavy in tomatoes increased the diversity of gut microbes and altered gut bacteria toward a more favorable profile in young pigs, researchers found.

9 Nov 2022

Researchers discover murderous survival strategy of yeast

Yeast is not the simple single-celled microorganism we once thought, but a competitive killer. When starved of glucose, yeast releases a toxin that will poison other microorganisms that have entered its surrounding habitat, even its own clones.

8 Nov 2022

Providing structural understanding of the influenza virus

The structure of the influenza replication machinery and how it interacts with cellular proteins have been solved by a team of Oxford University scientists using a variety of techniques at Diamond Light Source.

8 Nov 2022

Combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria with new drug

The overuse of antibiotics has forced microorganisms to evolve defenses against this kind of treatment. Antibiotic resistance is a problem that the WHO now views as one of the major hazards to human health.

8 Nov 2022

AI-based holographic microscope monitors microplanktons at the individual level

For the first time, scientists can now watch the lives of microplankton at the individual level utilizing holograms produced in digital microscopes and processed by artificial intelligence (AI).

3 Nov 2022

New method reveals how photosynthetic microalgae interact with their environment

Microalgae are algae too small to see with the human eye that live in both fresh and sea water. They are responsible for half of fixation of carbon that occurs on Earth through photosynthesis.

2 Nov 2022

Structure of phycobilisomes of cyanobacterium revealed

Researchers of RIKEN identified the structure of the “antenna” that a blue-green alga employs to yield light and compared it with those of four other species.

1 Nov 2022

Molecular responses of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to hydroquinine

Researchers investigating the effects of an organic compound on drug-resistant bacteria found how it can impede and destroy a germ that causes significant illness or even death in some situations.

1 Nov 2022

Plant root reprogramming via synthetic genetic circuits

An essential stage in genetically modifying plants to create better bioenergy crops is gene activity control. The results of this research led to the creation of artificial genes that could be coupled to produce certain patterns of gene expression in plants.

28 Oct 2022

New drug to tackle complex cases of UTI

A new drug combination has been shown to be more successful, especially against persistent, drug-resistant infections, according to an international study conducted by a Rutgers Researcher comparing new and older therapies for complex urinary tract infections.

From Rutgers University 28 Oct 2022

Bacteria do engage in photosynthesis, research suggests

Knowing whether or not marine microbes engage in photosynthesis -; the use of sunlight to turn carbon dioxide and water into energy -; could help scientists to learn if ocean bacteria play a role in the global carbon cycle.

25 Oct 2022

Organic chemical compounds impact the abundances, compositions of reef microorganisms differently

Stumbling upon a new source of underwater caffeine was just an added bonus of a new study examining the impact of chemical compounds that corals release into the seawater.

20 Oct 2022

All normal human tissues express remnants of widespread retrovirus

Ancient viral remnants in the human genome are active in both healthy and diseased tissues, restricting their applicability as disease indicators, according to a study published on October 18th, 2022, in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Aidan Burn at Tufts University in Boston, USA and colleagues.

20 Oct 2022