Bacteria News and Research

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Exploring the link between microbial balance and aging mechanisms

Aging is a multifaceted process driven by interconnected biological mechanisms, among which genomic instability and telomere attrition stand as primary hallmarks.

20 May 2025

Gut bacteria and genes jointly shape obesity risk, review reveals hidden links

Researchers examined the heritability of body mass index (BMI), highlighting that genetics and the gut microbiome both play major roles in obesity risk. The review emphasizes that maternal microbiome transmission and family environment may help explain “missing heritability” beyond known genetic factors.

20 May 2025

Eating kombu daily enhances gut health and heart markers in men

A 12-week randomized trial found that daily intake of boiled kombu (Laminaria japonica) powder reduced body fat and raised adiponectin in Japanese men, while improving blood pressure and gut microbiota in both sexes. No significant effects were seen in women for body fat reduction or adiponectin.

20 May 2025

Nanozymes offer promise for treating inflammation during pregnancy

Special care must be taken with illnesses during pregnancy, as not all drugs are compatible for mother and child.

20 May 2025

This news might ruin your appetite — and summer

It's a marvel of food technology: ice cream that resists melting.

20 May 2025

Inhaled microplastics suppress pulmonary macrophages critical to the immune system

Microplastics are ubiquitous in the environment, and we all routinely inhale these tiny pollutants. Now new research published at the ATS 2025 International Conference has found that inhaled microplastics suppress pulmonary macrophages, a type of white blood cell found in the lungs that are critical to the immune system.

19 May 2025

Acetate and gut bacteria work together to reduce obesity in mice

Researchers led by Hiroshi Ohno at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) in Japan have discovered a new way to reduce obesity.

19 May 2025

Evolution of malaria protein family offers new drug targets

Researchers from the Francis Crick Institute and the Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM) have shown that the evolution of a family of exported proteins in the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium falciparum enabled it to infect humans.

19 May 2025

Newly discovered Cat1 protein halts viral infections by depleting cellular fuel

Every living creature on Earth needs to protect itself from things that would do it harm. Bacteria are no different. And despite their relative simplicity, they deploy remarkably savvy defensive strategies against viral invaders.

18 May 2025

New gene editor evoCAST enables precise insertion of complete genes

Ask scientists what gene editing tool is most needed to advance gene therapy, and they'd probably describe a system that's now close to realization in the labs of Samuel Sternberg at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and David Liu at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

15 May 2025

Researchers identify key cells behind peanut allergy prevention

A decade ago, a clinical trial in the U.K. famously showed that children who were exposed to peanuts in the early months of life had reduced risk of developing a peanut allergy compared with children who avoided peanuts.

15 May 2025

Black tea kombucha reduces harmful gut microbes linked to obesity

Regular consumption of black tea kombucha for eight weeks beneficially shifted gut microbiota composition in both normal-weight and obese adults.

14 May 2025

Eating only wild foods reshapes your gut microbiome in just weeks, study shows

A new study shows that an eight-week wild-food-only diet in a modern adult leads to dramatic, partially lasting changes in the gut microbiome’s composition and function. While no “ancestral” microbes reappeared, the shift increased fiber-degrading species and reduced dairy-associated bacteria, highlighting the powerful role of diet.

14 May 2025

Urban children have more pro-allergic immune cells than rural peers

Scientists discovered that a previously uncharacterized subset of immune cells may play a critical role in the development of allergic diseases and explain differences between urban and rural populations.

14 May 2025

New glycopeptide antibiotic discovered to combat resistant bacteria

An international team of researchers, led by the University of Vienna and the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland, has discovered saarvienin A, a new type of glycopeptide antibiotic.

14 May 2025

Skin microbiome plays active role in sun protection and immune balance

The skin microbiome plays an important role in health and disease. Researchers have now substantiated that certain skin bacteria can protect us from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation specifically by metabolizing cis-urocanic acid using an enzyme called urocanase.

13 May 2025

X-ray dose rate found to influence bacterial sterilization efficiency

Radiation sterilization technology destroys the DNA and cellular structures of bacteria and microorganisms using electromagnetic waves with far higher energy than ultraviolet radiation.

13 May 2025

University of Tokyo team accelerates bacterial genome evolution in the lab

The genome structure — how genes are organized within DNA sequences in an organism — is fundamental to the processes and functions of organisms.

13 May 2025

Collagen protein bars show promise for safe and effective weight loss

Research being presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025) and published in the journal Nutrients indicates that collagen could be a safe and effective weight-loss supplement.

12 May 2025

Study links gum disease symptoms to higher risk of multiple chronic conditions

A major new study presented at EuroPerio11, the world's leading congress in periodontology and implant dentistry by the EFP, has found that people with signs of gum disease are more likely to suffer from multiple chronic health conditions, a state known as multimorbidity.

12 May 2025