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Categories: Biology: Microbiology, Space: Astronomy
Published Research finds a direct communication path between the lungs and the brain



New research finds a direct communication path between the lungs and the brain which may change the way we treat respiratory infections and chronic conditions. The lungs are using the same sensors and neurons in the pain pathway to let the brain know there's an infection. The brain then prompts the symptoms associated with sickness. Findings indicate we may have to treat the nervous system as well as the infection.
Published Maize genes control little helpers in the soil



Tiny organisms such as bacteria and fungi help to promote the health and function of plant roots. It is commonly assumed that the composition of these microbes is dependent on the properties of the soil. However, researchers have now discovered when studying different local varieties of maize that the genetic makeup of the plants also helps to influence which microorganisms cluster around the roots.
Published Decoding the plant world's complex biochemical communication networks



A research team has begun translating the complex molecular language of petunias. Their grammar and vocabulary are well hidden, however, within the countless proteins and other compounds that fill floral cells. Being rooted to the ground, plants can't run away from insects, pathogens or other threats to their survival. But plant scientists have long known that they do send warnings to each other via scent chemicals called volatile organic compounds.
Published Deep Earth electrical grid mystery solved



To 'breathe' in an environment without oxygen, bacteria in the ground beneath our feet depend upon a single family of proteins to transfer excess electrons, produced during the 'burning' of nutrients, to electric hairs called nanowires projecting from their surface.
Published High school students contribute to exoplanet discovery



A group of high school students from Oakland, California, made contributions to the field of exoplanet research. Researchers worked with the students to use backpack-sized digital smart telescopes. These young citizen scientists played a role in observing and confirming the nature of a warm and dense sub-Saturn planet, known as TIC 139270665 b, orbiting a metal-rich G2 star.
Published Scientists find one of the most ancient stars that formed in another galaxy



The first generation of stars transformed the universe. Inside their cores, simple hydrogen and helium fused into a rainbow of elements. When these stars died, they exploded and sent these new elements across the universe. The iron running in your veins and the calcium in your teeth and the sodium powering your thoughts were all born in the heart of a long-dead star.
Published Bacteria subtype linked to growth in up to 50% of human colorectal cancers



Researchers have found that a specific subtype of a microbe commonly found in the mouth is able to travel to the gut and grow within colorectal cancer tumors. This microbe is also a culprit for driving cancer progression and leads to poorer patient outcomes after cancer treatment. The findings could help improve therapeutic approaches and early screening methods for colorectal cancer, which is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in adults in the U.S. according to the American Cancer Society.
Published Astrophysicist's research could provide a hint in the search for dark matter



Dark matter is one of science's greatest mysteries. Although it is believed to make up about 85 percent of the cosmos, scientists know very little about its fundamental nature. Research provides some of the most stringent constraints on the nature of dark matter yet. It also revealed a small hint of a signal that, if real, could be confirmed in the next decade or so.
Published Craving snacks after a meal? It might be food-seeking neurons, not an overactive appetite



Psychologists have discovered a circuit in the brain of mice that makes them crave food and seek it out, even when they are not hungry. When stimulated, this cluster of cells propels mice to forage vigorously and to prefer fatty and pleasurable foods like chocolate over healthier foods like carrots.
Published Experts warn climate change will fuel spread of infectious diseases



Infectious diseases specialists call the medical field to be ready to deal with the impact of climate change on spreading diseases, such as malaria, Valley fever, E. coli and Lyme disease.
Published Fiber, genes and the gut microbiome: Study reveals possible triggers for inflammatory bowel disease



A new study finds a complex interplay between diet, genes, and the gut microbiota that could explain why IBD develops.
Published Simulated microgravity effects cause marked changes in gene expression rhythms in humans, study finds



Simulated effects of microgravity, created by 60 days of constant bed rest, severely disrupts rhythmic gene expression in humans, according to a new study.
Published A protein found in human sweat may protect against Lyme disease



Human sweat contains a protein that may protect against Lyme disease. About one-third of the population carries a genetic variant of this protein that is associated with Lyme disease in genome-wide association studies.
Published Climate change alters the hidden microbial food web in peatlands



To better understand a carbon sink in danger, scientists are turning to tiny organisms that have long been overlooked.
Published Genes identified that allow bacteria to thrive despite toxic heavy metal in soil



Some soil bacteria can acquire sets of genes that enable them to pump the heavy metal nickel out of their systems, a study has found. This enables the bacteria to not only thrive in otherwise toxic soils but help plants grow there as well. A research team pinpointed a set of genes in wild soil bacteria that allows them to do this in serpentine soils which have naturally high concentrations of toxic nickel. The genetic discovery could help inform future bioremediation efforts that seek to return plants to polluted soils.
Published Industrial societies losing healthy gut microbes



Our eating habits in industrialized societies are far removed from those of ancient humans. This is impacting our intestinal flora, it seems, as newly discovered cellulose degrading bacteria are being lost from the human gut microbiome, especially in industrial societies.
Published New discovery concerning occurrence of antibiotic resistance



A new study shows how heteroresistance, a transient resistance common in many bacteria, can act as a precursor to the development of antibiotic resistance.
Published Rise in global fungal drug-resistant infections



A global wave of infections caused by fungi growing drug-resistant has the medical community issuing precautions on how to protect yourself.
Published Largest-ever map of universe's active supermassive black holes released



Astronomers have charted the largest-ever volume of the universe with a new map of active supermassive black holes living at the centers of galaxies. Called quasars, the gas-gobbling black holes are, ironically, some of the universe's brightest objects. The new map logs the location of about 1.3 million quasars in space and time, the furthest of which shone bright when the universe was only 1.5 billion years old. The work could help scientists better understand the properties of dark matter.
Published Cacao plants' defense against toxic cadmium unveiled



Researchers used bright X-rays to unveil how cacao trees protect themselves from toxic metal cadmium.