Webinar: What does it mean when environmental microbiomes are described as resilient?
Environmental microbiomes are often described as ‘resilient’ - but what does that even mean? A free upcoming webinar and coffee hour delivered by Dr Ashley Shade, as part of the Microbes and Social Equity 2026 Speaker Series, aims to find out.
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Yeast-plant interactions: nature’s silent partnership for ecosystems and agriculture
Plant–microbe interaction studies have increased greatly in recent years. This sharp increase in studies is attributed to the need to better understand these interactions, which in turn can be used to enhance crop productivity and stress tolerance, reduce fertilizer inputs, and improve plant health. This is vital to meet the ...
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From roots to riches: mycorrhizal fungi and the future of farming
Feeding a growing population while rebuilding depleted soils is one of agriculture’s biggest challenges. When fungal networks are thriving, they can improve nutrient uptake, support stronger root systems, and reduce the need for fuels to stretch as far, with their input. It’s a small-scale partnership with big implications for the future of farming…
Gut microbiome and obesity: what we know - and what we don’t
Dysbiosis is defined as an imbalance in the composition and function of the gut microbiota. This imbalance can lead to dysregulated interactions within the bacterial community and between microbes and the host, and it can be associated with disease states. However, discussions of dysbiosis often rely on simplified dichotomies, such ...
From Petri dishes to chips: what can microbiology learn from microfluidics?
Microfluidics is a fast-growing field focused on manipulating tiny volumes of fluid, often within channels no wider than a human hair. Despite its potential, around 90% of microbial experiments are still carried out under static conditions. So, what are we missing by ignoring flow? And how can microfluidics help close the gap?
Under the Lens video series
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 2
In our second episode, Dr Callum Cooper joins Professor Emmanuel Adukwu to talk about all things bacteriophage, from alternatives to antibiotics, social impact, and regulation.
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 1
In our first episode, Professor Raquel Peixoto joins Professor Jack Gilbert for a deep dive into coral reefs, microbes, and the future of our planet.
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 2
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 1
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Listeria: the inconvenient truth that shaped our industry
Director General of the Chilled Food Association, Karin Goodburn MBE, who sits on AMI’s Food Security Advisory Group, reveals why the publication of new Listeria guidance for the UK food industry is regarded as a landmark moment.
We couldn’t get people interested in science - until we started speaking their language
In 2020, Puerto Rico faced a misinformation crisis. Melanie Ortiz Alvarez De La Campa reveals how five STEM undergraduates created a sci-comm organization that helped pass legislation, educated thousands, and created an inclusive database of Caribbean scientists.
The politics behind the global divide in bacteriophage therapy
The therapeutic potential of bacteriophages (or ‘phages’) has been widely dismissed for decades in the West, despite being regularly used to treat patients worldwide in the early and mid-20th century. In an age rife with disinformation, can the true potential of clinical phage technology be communicated to a public already uneasy about scientific intervention?
Summer Studentship: novel antivirals and host-virus interactions
Jessica Harris reports back on her Summer Studentship at De Montfort University, and her research into how plant-derived compounds affect viruses, and whether combining these antivirals might increase viral inhibition.
The National Collection of Pathogenic Viruses (NCPV): a critical resource for virology and public health
It’s now 25 years since the National Collection of Pathogenic Viruses (NCPV) was founded as a dedicated, secure, and relevant national virus repository for the UK. Jane Burton, Teresa Ramalho and Tilly Maybery explore how the collection has evolved - and is tackling future global health concerns.
A day in the life of a soil microbial ecologist
Dr. Taniya RoyChowdhury, a soil microbial ecologist and biogeochemist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, describes a typical day.
Debilitating virus can spread in cool weather, increasing health risk in Europe
Chikungunya virus, a debilitating tropical disease caused by infected mosquito bites, poses a greater health threat in Europe than previously thought because it can be spread when air temperatures are as low as 13 degrees Celsius.
How bacteria may promote breast cancer
Researchers have discovered how certain pathogenic bacteria in gut and breast tissue can promote breast cancer development and progression by hijacking a key metabolic enzyme known as spermine oxidase (SMOX).
Scientists develop first-of-its-kind antibody to block Epstein Barr virus
Using mice with human antibody genes, scientists have developed new genetically human monoclonal antibodies that prevent two key antigens on the surface of the Epstein Barr virus (EBV) from binding to and entering human immune cells.
Food security
Beneficial bacterium deployed to protect turfgrass from fungal foes
A novel strain of Bacillus subtilis helps a variety of plants resist soil‑borne diseases, retain moisture and develop stronger root‑to‑shoot growth. New findings on the effect of UD1022 on dollar spot disease suggests intriguing implications for manufacturing of biological treatments for the fungal disease.
Clean Water
Strategic changes in water treatment could prevent disease outbreaks
A breakthrough new study shows how strategic changes in water treatment effectively treated a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease. For the first time, the study provides evidence of an outbreak being stopped by introducing disinfection to previously untreated groundwater.
Microscopic plankton reveal tropicalization of the Mediterranean Sea
A recent study of the western Mediterranean demonstrates that the expansion of microscopic warm-water species provides a clear and early indication of tropicalization impacts on marine ecosystems.
