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After nearly a decade of research, a new test that detects the magnetic properties of malaria-infected blood could soon be used to help eliminate the mosquito-borne disease.

A new study has explored genetic factors that contribute to skin pigmentation in 1,076 African Americans. They have utilized this data to look for specific genetic factors that are associated with vitamin D deficiency in the same population.

Viruses are the most numerous biological entities on the planet. Now researchers have identified over 140,000 viral species living in the human gut, more than half of which have never been seen before.

A study has found long-term impacts of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the northern Gulf of Mexico on bottlenose dolphins’ immune function.

Some adipose tissue is more prone to inflammation-related comorbidities than others, but the reasons why are not well understood. However, thanks to a new analytical technique, scientists are getting a clearer view of the microenvironments found within adipose tissue associated with obesity that may help to answer the question.

A specific SARS-CoV-2 spike protein mutation – one of several genetic mutations in the concerning variants that have emerged – makes the virus up to eight times more infectious in human cells than the initial virus that originated in China.

Before straw can be converted into useful products by biorefineries, the polymers that make it up must be broken down. Researchers have found that microbes from the guts of certain termite species can help break down lignin, a particularly tough polymer in straw.

A research team has defined how antibodies can recognize a compound called phosphohistidine, a highly unstable molecule that has been found to play a central role in some forms of cancer, such as liver and breast cancer and neuroblastoma.

Backed by a £33.6 million UK government investment, the first-of-its-kind study for this virus will involve establishing the smallest amount of virus needed to cause infection, which will give doctors greater understanding of COVID-19 and help support the pandemic response by aiding vaccine and treatment development.

Scientists present evidence that hospital wastewater, containing elevated levels of antibiotics, rapidly kills antibiotic-sensitive bacteria, while multi-resistant bacteria continue to grow. Hospital sewers may therefore provide conditions that promote the evolution of new forms of antibiotic resistance.