Microbiomes – News and Features

Immune cells that are ready to take action against invaders like bacteria have been found in women’s breast milk, researchers say. The presence of this SWAT team of immune cells called innate lymphoid cells, in human breast milk is more evidence of the benefits of breastfeeding.

Scientists have potentially found a way to use chemical compounds to target and inhibit the growth of specific microbes in the gut associated with diseases without causing harm to other beneficial organisms.

Good news, vegans: A new study finds that kimchi made without fish products has the same type of bacteria as more traditionally made kimchi. That finding suggests that any “probiotic” benefits associated with traditional kimchi could be present in vegan versions as well.

Antibiotics in the environment contribute to drug resistance. But researchers have figured out how some soil bacteria turn the drugs into food. The information could lead to new ways to clean up antibiotic-contaminated soil and waterways.

Researchers are investigating how deforestation can affect the action of pathogens that cause diseases such as chytridiomycosis, which has devastated frog populations worldwide in recent decades.

Researchers have proposed an evolutionary framework to understand why microbes living in the gut affect the brain and behaviour. Understanding of the evolution of gut-brain communication may help us to effectively engineer this microbial ecosystem with potential benefits for mental health and well-being.

A nucleic acid-detecting diagnostics platform that harnesses the gene editing technology CRISPR was announced today by the newly-launched Mammoth Biosciences, which says the technology could change how we diagnose disease.

Increased awareness of the importance of the microbes that live in our gut has spurred a great deal of research on the microbiome and fueled a booming probiotics industry. A new study suggests probiotics can improve not only the health of our gut but liver health, as well.

Ketch DeGabrielle former Operations Manager at Los Sueños Farms discusses how he helped keep their 36,000 plant October harvest clean and clear of mold contamination.

Mass spectrometry showed that some foods contained 100 times the daily dietary allowance of zinc nanoparticles, used in the lining of certain canned goods for their antimicrobial properties and to prevent staining of sulfur-producing foods.