February- 2023

Wastewater sector emits nearly twice as much methane as previously thought

	Municipal wastewater treatment plants emit nearly double the amount of methane into the atmosphere than scientists previously believed, according to new research from Princeton University. And since methane warms the planet over 80 times more powerfully than carbon dioxide over 20 years, that could be a big problem. Source: Phys

— Read more

Microbes may play a key role in unleashing 'forever chemicals' from recycled-waste fertilizer

	"Forever chemicals" are everywhere—water, soil, crops, animals, the blood of 97% of Americans—researchers from Drexel University's College of Engineering are trying to figure out how they got there. Their recent findings suggest that the microbes that help break down biodegradable materials and other waste are likely complicit in the release of the notorious per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into the environment. Source: Phys

— Read more

Microbes are 'active engineers' in Earth's rock-to-life cycle

	The name "critical zone" may give off 1980s action thriller vibes, but it's the term scientists use to refer to the area of Earth's land surface responsible for sustaining life. A relatively small portion of the planetary structure, it spans from the bedrock below groundwater all the way up to the lower atmosphere. Source: Phys

— Read more

Current microbiome analyses may falsely detect species that are not actually present

	Common approaches to analyzing DNA from a community of microbes, called a microbiome, can yield erroneous results, in large part due to the incomplete databases used to identify microbial DNA sequences. A team led by Aiese Cigliano of Sequentia Biotech SL and Clemente Fernandez Arias and Federica Bertocchini of the Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas Margarita Salas report these findings in a paper published February 8 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE. Source: Phys

— Read more

January- 2023

Microbes in your food can help or hinder your body's defenses against cancer

	The microbes living in your food can affect your risk of cancer. While some help your body fight cancer, others help tumors evolve and grow. Gut microbes can influence your cancer risk by changing how your cells behave. Many cancer-protective microbes support normal, cooperative behavior of cells. Meanwhile, cancer-inducing microbes undermine cellular cooperation and increase your risk of cancer in the process. Source: Phys

— Read more

More to E. coli than meets the eye: Lab discovers evidence of multicellularity in single cell organism

	Researchers in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University have uncovered something new in one of the most studied organisms on Earth, and their discoveries could impact the treatment and prevention of devastating bacterial diseases. Escherichia coli, or E. coli, gets a bad rap, and for good reason. This diverse group of bacteria that live in our intestines are mostly harmless and play an important role in sustaining a healthy digestive system. But some E. coli are among the most virulent disease-causing micro-organisms. Source: Phys

— Read more

Study discovers immense diversity and interdependence in high temperature deep-sea microorganism communities

	A new study by researchers at Portland State University and the University of Wisconsin finds that a rich diversity of microorganisms live in interdependent communities in high-temperature geothermal environments in the deep sea. The study, which was published in the journal Microbiome, was led by Anna-Louise Reysenbach, professor of biology at PSU. Emily St. John, who earned a master's degree in microbial ecology from PSU, also contributed significantly to the study, along with researchers from the University of Wisconsin. Source: Phys

— Read more

Methane-generating microbe can grow on toxic sulfite without becoming poisoned

	Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology reveal how a methane-generating microbe can grow on toxic sulfite without becoming poisoned. Methanogens are microorganisms that produce methane when little or no oxygen is present in their surroundings. Their methane production—for example in the digestive tract of ruminants—is relevant for global carbon cycling, as methane is a very potent greenhouse gas, but can also be used as an energy source to heat our houses. Source: Phys

— Read more