Press monitoring
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Chemical vaccine helps plants repel pathogens
23.10.2019 | Press monitoring
When plants come under attack from invading bacteria, viruses or fungi, they mount a two-pronged response, producing both offensive chemicals to kill invaders and defensive chemicals to prevent infestations from spreading. Now, scientists at Stanford have used a type of chemical vaccine to switch on this plant defense system to prevent localized...
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The secret of classic Belgian beers? Medieval super-yeasts
21.10.2019 | Press monitoring
An international team of scientists led by Prof. Kevin Verstrepen (VIB-KU-Leuven) and Prof. Steven Maere (VIB-UGent) has discovered that some of the most renowned classic Belgian beers, including Gueuze and Trappist ales, are fermented with a rare and unusual form of hybrid yeasts. These yeasts combine DNA of the traditional ale yeast,...
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Discovery raises hopes of preventing streptococci infections
18.10.2019 | Press monitoring
Researchers at the University of Dundee have discovered an enzyme they believe could be key to preventing Group A Streptococcus infections that cause more than 500,000 deaths worldwide each year. Group A Streptococcus can lead to illnesses such as strep throat, scarlet fever, sepsis and toxic shock syndrome as well as several long-term autoimmune...
Artificial gut aims to expose the elusive microbiome
16.10.2019 | Press monitoring
The microbiome is a collection of trillions of bacteria that reside in and on our bodies. Each person's microbiome is unique – just like a fingerprint – and researchers are finding more and more ways in which it impacts our health and daily lives. One example involves an apparent link between the brain and the bacteria in the gut. This brain-gut...
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Brain tissue kept alive for weeks on an artificial membrane
14.10.2019 | Press monitoring
Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research in Japan have developed a new system for keeping tissue viable for long-term study once transferred from an animal to a culture medium. The new system uses a microfluidic device that can keep tissue from both drying out and from drowning in fluid. A proof-of-concept experiment...
A virus is attacking koalas genes – but their DNA is fighting back
11.10.2019 | Press monitoring
A virus that infects koalas is steadily integrating itself into their DNA, ensuring that it is passed down from generation to generation. But the koala genome is defending itself, revealing that DNA has its own immune system to shut down invaders. The virus, called koala retrovirus (KoRV), is linked to weakened immunity, cancer, and chlamydia...
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Scientists discover new antibiotic in tropical forest
9.10.2019 | Press monitoring
Scientists from Rutgers University and around the world have discovered an antibiotic produced by a soil bacterium from a Mexican tropical forest that may help lead to a "plant probiotic," more robust plants and other antibiotics. Probiotics, which provide friendlier bacteria and health benefits for humans, can also be beneficial to plants,...
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Bacteria trapped – and terminated – by graphene filter
7.10.2019 | Press monitoring
Airborne bacteria may see what looks like a comfy shag carpet on which to settle. But it's a trap. Rice University scientists have transformed their laser-induced graphene (LIG) into self-sterilizing filters that grab pathogens out of the air and kill them with small pulses of electricity. The flexible filter developed by the Rice lab of chemist...
Engineered viruses could fight drug resistance
4.10.2019 | Press monitoring
In the battle against antibiotic resistance, many scientists have been trying to deploy naturally occurring viruses called bacteriophages that can infect and kill bacteria. Bacteriophages kill bacteria through different mechanisms than antibiotics, and they can target specific strains, making them an appealing option for potentially overcoming...
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CRISPR flies have been gene edited so they can eat poison
2.10.2019 | Press monitoring
Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley have used the CRISPR gene-editing tool to give fruit flies an evolutionary advantage they’ve never had before. By making just three small changes to a single gene, the team gave the flies the ability to effectively eat poison and store it in their bodies, protecting themselves from predators in...
