February - 2023

Scientists decipher how non-resistant forms of Staph aureus thwart antibiotics, almost like a superbug

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) has a slew of surprises in its bag of dirty tricks and among the most puzzling has been the ability of non-resistant forms of the bacteria to emerge unscathed, even after exposure to high concentrations of chemical warfare from antibiotics that should be able to kill it. That uncanny capability of non-resistant forms of the bacteria is a trick that allows these microbes to rebuff drugs almost as handily as their drug resistant counterparts. Possession of drug-surviving capabilities is just one of many conundrums to vex scientists who've been attempting to tease out how S. aureus finds ways to dodge deadly concentrations of antimicrobials. Source: Phys

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Fleeting interactions between the smallest phytoplankton and bacteria help to shape global ocean productivity

Microorganisms, or microbes, are the engines driving large-scale ecological and biogeochemical processes in the ocean. They process light and nutrients at a massive scale and represent the base of the marine food web. While microbial activity in the ocean has typically been studied at large scales to understand things like global oxygen production and CO₂ sequestration, there's increasing evidence that the intricate small-scale movement of individual cells plays a major role in shaping the productivity of the ocean. Source: Phys

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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

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Researchers develop 100% biodegradable paper straws that do not become soggy

The paper straws that are currently available are not entirely made of paper alone. Straws made with 100% paper become too soggy when they come in contact with liquids and cannot function as straws. Accordingly, their surfaces should be coated. The most commonly used coating materials for paper straws are polyethylene (PE) or acrylic resin—the same materials used for making plastic bags and adhesives. Paper cups are also coated with the same materials as paper straws. A large number of previous studies have reported that polyethylene coating on discarded paper cups can disintegrate into small particles without being fully decomposed and become microplastics. Moreover, these paper products are made with paper and plastics (two very different materials) and thus it is difficult to recycle them. Source: Phys

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January - 2023

Stunningly detailed blueprint revealed of viral genome replication machinery

RNA viruses, such as the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, are in a life-and-death race the moment they infect a cell. These viruses have only minutes to establish their replication machinery inside the host cell before the genetic instructions contained in their vulnerable RNA genomes—which are more fragile than DNA—would otherwise be destroyed by cellular housekeeping. If successful, the virus can go from just a few copies of its RNA genome to a half-million copies incorporated in new infectious particles in less than 12 hours. If not, the virus dies. Source: Phys

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Microbes could be used by farmers as natural fertilizer for poor soil

A study published in The ISME Journal identified 522 genomes of archaea and bacteria associated with the roots and soil of two plant species native to the Brazilian montane savanna ecoregion known as campos rupestres ("rocky meadows"). Hundreds of microorganisms hitherto unknown to science were identified, showing that the ecoregion is a biodiversity hotspot and that many new organisms have yet to be described and classified in Brazil. Source: Phys

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Chlamydiae expand our view on how intracellular bacteria evolve

All chlamydiae today live inside the cells of hosts ranging from amoeba to animals. A team of scientists from the University of Vienna and the Wageningen University & Research found that the ancestor of chlamydiae likely already lived inside host cells, but that chlamydiae infecting amoeba evolved later in ways unexpected for intracellular bacteria. Source: Phys

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Scientists discover a new way of sharing genetic information in a common ocean microbe

From the tropics to the poles, from the sea surface to hundreds of feet below, the world's oceans are teeming with one of the tiniest of organisms: a type of bacteria called Prochlorococcus, which despite their minute size are collectively responsible for a sizable portion of the oceans' oxygen production. But the remarkable ability of these diminutive organisms to diversify and adapt to such profoundly different environments has remained something of a mystery. Source: Phys

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