Listeria costaricensis is the official name given to the new bacterial species, discovered in an industrial drainage area in the Costa Rican province of Alajuela.

A moss capable of removing arsenic from contaminated water has been discovered by researchers. And it happens quickly – in just one hour, the arsenic level is so low that the water is no longer harmful for people to drink.

A recent study exploited state-of-the-art mass spectrometry to provide the first direct evidence of beta-amyloid dimers in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and points to the potential of these molecules as biomarkers. Beta-amyloid dimers may be the smallest pathological species that trigger Alzheimer’s disease.

Improved access to clean and safe drinking water is key for health and survival and has been classified as a human right. Here, we take a look at some of the novel solutions, both hi-tech and low-tech, that scientists are designing to help monitor drinking water source safety.

Microbes play an important role in the marine ecosystem, however, the effects of climate change have the potential to upset this fine balance, leading to increasing issues with cyanobacterial blooms. Exciting work seeks to look at the knock on effects on the marine food web and ways to combat these toxic blooms.

Definitive diagnosis for many neurodegenerative diseases – such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) – frequently comes far too late. The “true gold standard” for diagnosis of both Alzheimer’s and CTE is through direct postmortem examination of brain tissue. Now, both researchers and athletes are working to change that.

Evidence is mounting for exosomes playing a central role in many aspects of cancer biology. As researchers start to unravel the secrets of these elusive little vesicles, this is opening a host of exciting new opportunities to tackle cancer – from non-invasive diagnostics to innovative new therapeutics.

Used in myriad applications and showered with praise by researchers, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are hailed as a "wonder material" for materials science. This lofty position may be jeopardized by a new study that shows CNTs can induce the fatal cancer mesothelioma in the same way as asbestos.

Those involved in the production, processing and distribution of food know that food safety is not an issue to be taken lightly. Of note, mycotoxins in food are subject to strict legislative limits and therefore their detection and quantification are a key area of interest.