Showing 20 articles starting at article 1701

< Previous 20 articles        Next 20 articles >

Categories: Biology: Microbiology, Engineering: Biometric

Return to the site home page

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Sinks and P-traps are home to a surprising number of fungal organisms.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Antibiotic treatment disrupts the balance of beneficial and harmful bacteria in a person's gut. That disruption can lead to the overgrowth of fungal species in the gut mycobiota, including the common intestinal yeast Candida albicans. However, researchers only have a limited understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Researchers now report on how treatment with a common beta-lactam antibiotic led to significant changes in C. albicans in patients.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Reforestation projects should include a variety of tree species and ensure genetic diversity within each species to maximize new forests' health and productivity.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

About 600 seemingly disparate fungi that had resisted categorization have been shown to have a common ancestor, according to a a research team that used genome sequencing to give these peculiar creatures a new classification home.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Infectious diseases experts warn of the rising threat and apparent spread of disease-causing fungi outside their traditional hot spots. Fungal lung infections are commonly misdiagnosed, leading to delays in treatment and increase in antimicrobial resistance in the community.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

A genetic survey of porcini mushrooms across the Northern Hemisphere found that these delicious fungi evolved in surprising ways -- contrary to the expectations of many who think that geographic isolation would be the primary driver for species diversity. In fact, there are regions in the world where porcini maintain their genetic distinctiveness in local ecological niches, even if they are not isolated geographically from other genetic lineages.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers found that the fungus Metarhizium robertsii removes mercury from the soil around plant roots, and from fresh and saltwater. The researchers also genetically engineered the fungus to amplify its mercury detoxifying effects. This new work suggests Metarhizium could provide an inexpensive and efficient way to protect crops grown in polluted areas and remediate mercury-laden waterways.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have discovered that the three main kinds of soil fungi that cause lung infections have all expanded their ranges in recent decades. Reliance on outdated maps could be causing delayed or missed diagnoses.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

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. This venomous phenomenon was previously unknown and contributes to our understanding of unicellular microorganism behavior, the evolution of unicellular to multicellular organisms, as well as having potentially useful applications for the food industry.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

The forensic-voice-comparison system, based on state-of-the-art automatic-speaker-recognition technology, outperformed all the listeners.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

The formation of fruiting bodies for sexual reproduction is a central developmental process in fungi. Even though genetic methods have been applied in recent decades to identify a large number of factors involved in this process, we still lack an understanding of how the formation of different cell types is regulated. A research team has gained new insights by studying a mutant sac fungus that is infertile. The mutant is impaired in its respiratory chain, thus lacking the energy to form fruiting bodies.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A recent experiment provides evidence of a bark beetle species' agricultural capability. The fruit-tree pinhole borer can suppress the growth of weed fungi and promote food fungi.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have identified a specific T cell that produces cytokines necessary for immunity against fungal pathogens. The finding could hasten development of effective fungal vaccines. Fungal pneumonia was a deadly comorbidity in COVID infections globally.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Insecticides containing flupyradifurone and sulfoxaflor can have devastating effects on honey bee health. The substances damage the insects' intestinal flora, especially when used in conjunction with a common fungicide, making them more susceptible to disease and shortening their life span. The two insecticides were considered harmless to bees and bumblebees when approved, but their use has since been severely restricted.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

A decade-long study into unique rocks near a Derbyshire village has been uncovering the secrets of what the county and the Peak District might have looked like under a much warmer and wetter past.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Current protected areas only poorly cover the places most relevant for conserving soil ecological values. To assess global hotspots for preserving soil ecological values, an international team of scientists measured different facets of soil biodiversity (local species richness and uniqueness) and ecosystem services (like water regulation or carbon storage). They found that these facets peaked in contrasting regions of the world. For instance, temperate ecosystems showed higher local soil biodiversity (species richness), while colder ecosystems were identified as hotspots of soil ecosystem services. In addition, the results suggest that tropical and arid ecosystems hold the most unique communities of soil organisms. Soil ecological values are often overlooked in nature conservation management and policy decisions; the new study demonstrates where efforts to protect them are needed most.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

A research group has found a new fungus from the group called Kickxellomycotina. The fungus, which was found on cave cricket feces, represents a new genus that inhabits the guts of animals -- a new discovery for this group of fungi. This finding indicates that this group evolved in connection with the animal gut; future studies will reveal the evolutionary stages between gut-inhabiting fungi and those with other life cycles.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

A multinational team of researchers in Europe report the discovery of a new antifungal antibiotic named solanimycin. The compound, initially isolated from a pathogenic bacterium that infects potatoes, appears to be produced by a broad spectrum of related plant pathogenic bacteria.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers found that the bacteria and fungi responsible for a severe form of childhood tooth decay together form 'superorganisms' with unexpected properties. The cross-kingdom groupings were more resistant to antimicrobials and physical removal than either species alone, sprouting 'limbs' to move as a group and spread rapidly on teeth.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have made a significant genetic discovery that sheds light on the use of the drug caspofungin to treat a deadly fungal infection, Aspergillus fumigatus, which kills some 100,000 severely immunocompromised people each year.