https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Researchers at National Taiwan University have discovered a versatile enzyme from Bacillus subtilis that efficiently attaches phosphate groups to a wide variety of phenolic molecules, offering a sustainable and precise alternative to conventional chemical phosphorylation methods. This breakthrough offers a greener way to boost drug solubility and develop more effective nutraceuticals and prodrugs. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-versatile-enzyme-bacillus-greener-path.html Biochemistry Tue, 09 Sep 2025 11:30:05 EDT news676635613 Joint research has, for the first time, ascertained the composition of the intestinal microbiome of the indri, a critically endangered lemur only found in the north-east of Madagascar. The study is a collaboration between the Department of Medicine and Life Sciences (MELIS) at Pompeu Fabra University and the University of Trento (Italy). https://phys.org/news/2025-08-indri-lemur-gut-bacteria-reveals.html Ecology Tue, 05 Aug 2025 12:40:08 EDT news673616034 Fusobacteria, which are part of the oral microbiome, are suspected of playing a role in cancer progression. Scientists at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) are working on innovative strategies to inhibit the spread of these bacteria. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-unexpected-bacterial-blocker-antisense-molecules.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 29 Apr 2025 12:18:03 EDT news665147881 Bacteria populate virtually every habitat on Earth, including within and on our own bodies. Understanding and engineering bacteria can lead to new methods for diagnosing, treating, and preventing infections. Additionally, it presents opportunities to protect crops from disease and create sustainable cell factories for chemical production, reducing environmental impact—just a few of the many benefits to society. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-world-bacteria-approach-amenable-genetic.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 26 Jun 2024 12:29:09 EDT news638623746 Bacteria draw from an arsenal of weapons to combat the drugs intended to kill them. Among the most prevalent of these weapons are ribosome-modifying enzymes. These enzymes are growing increasingly common, appearing worldwide in clinical samples in a range of drug-resistant bacteria. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-images-enzyme-action-reveal-secrets.html Biotechnology Mon, 14 Aug 2023 08:54:38 EDT news611222072 Exposing female house mice (Mus musculus) to the scent of male urine is known to accelerate their sexual development in what scientists call the Vandenbergh effect. A study recently published in Scientific Reports led by the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna now shows that this effect works both ways. The study found that juvenile male mice grew significantly faster when exposed to female urinary scent. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-female-scent-growth-juvenile-male.html Plants & Animals Tue, 06 Jun 2023 10:51:56 EDT news605267511 Like thieves that constantly look for ways to evade capture, Salmonella enterica, a disease-causing bacterium, uses various tactics to escape the human body's defense mechanisms. In a new study, researchers from the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology (MCB), IISc, highlight two such strategies that the bacterium uses to protect itself, both driven by the same protein. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-stealthy-salmonella-host-defenses-two-pronged.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 26 May 2023 08:58:23 EDT news604310300 Our microbiome, the billions of microorganisms that live in and on our bodies, control many important bodily functions, including those in our brain. Recent research by Amsterdam UMC, the University of Amsterdam and Erasmus MC delivers the most extensive evidence to date of a relationship between the composition of the microbiome and instances of depression. This composition also plays a role in the differing rates of depression across different ethnic groups. https://phys.org/news/2022-12-microbiome-composition-depression.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 07 Dec 2022 09:48:32 EST news589628907 Your DNA holds the blueprint to build your body, but it's a living document: Adjustments to the design can be made by epigenetic marks. https://phys.org/news/2022-02-scientists-dna-modification-animals-captured.html Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 28 Feb 2022 05:00:02 EST news565245009 The genetic context in bacterial genomes and screening for potential substrates can help identify the biochemical functions of bacterial enzymes. The Gram-negative, strictly anaerobic bacterium Veillonella ratti possesses a gene cluster that appears to be related to L-fucose metabolism and contains a putative dihydrodipicolinate synthase DHDPS/NAL protein (FucH). Here, screening of a library of 2-keto-3-deoxysugar acids with this protein and the biochemical characterization of neighboring genes revealed that this gene cluster encodes enzymes in a previously unknown "Route I" non-phosphorylating L-fucose pathway. https://phys.org/news/2020-03-l-fucose-metabolic-pathway-strictly-anaerobic.html Biochemistry Wed, 11 Mar 2020 08:17:38 EDT news503133455 A bacterial pathogen that causes strep throat and other illnesses cloaks itself in fragments of red blood cells to evade detection by the host immune system, according to a study publishing December 3 in the journal Cell Reports. The researchers found that Group A Streptococcus (GAS) produces a previously uncharacterized protein, named S protein, which binds to the red blood cell membrane to avoid being engulfed and destroyed by phagocytic immune cells. By arming GAS with this form of immune camouflage, S protein enhances bacterial virulence and decreases survival in infected mice. https://phys.org/news/2019-12-strep-bacterium-immune.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 03 Dec 2019 11:00:07 EST news494593064 Bacteria, like people, have complicated relationships: they can either be friendly, neutral, or antagonistic toward each other, and those relationships can change depending on the situations in which they find themselves. As interest in identifying the bacterial species present in the human microbiome that contribute to health and disease has exploded in recent years, so too have efforts to understand how different species of bacteria interact. This knowledge could enable the creation of bacteria-based therapies and tools that could be used to improve human health, produce valuable substances, or repair microbial ecosystems. However, teasing out the relationships that occur simultaneously between multiple species within a consortium of bacteria in a complex environment like the human gut has proven to be a herculean challenge. https://phys.org/news/2019-08-multiple-bacterial-strains-reverses-antagonistic.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 14 Aug 2019 15:19:21 EDT news485014752 Bacterial cells that normally colonize our guts can distinguish themselves from other bacterial species using what's traditionally considered their enemy—a virus. Researchers report April 16 in the journal Cell Reports that some bacteria use viruses that have infected them (i.e., phages) for self-recognition and thereby show greater fitness, repelling competitors that lack this adaptation. https://phys.org/news/2019-04-bacteria-harness-viruses-distinguish-friend.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 16 Apr 2019 11:00:06 EDT news474614635 For the first time, international researchers have mapped the network of bacteria on coral reefs. They write about it in Nature Communications (9 April). Professor by special appointment Nicole de Voogd (Naturalis Biodiversity Center & Institute of Environmental Sciences) and two of her Ph.D. students co-authored the publication. https://phys.org/news/2019-04-dimension-coral.html Ecology Wed, 10 Apr 2019 09:42:21 EDT news474108137 Most people think of "strep throat" as a relatively benign infection cured by a round of antibiotics and a few days of rest. But the bacterium that causes strep throat—Group A Streptococcus—is also responsible for a number of much more dangerous disorders, including rheumatic heart disease and toxic shock syndrome. https://phys.org/news/2019-04-potential-group-streptococcus-vaccine.html Biochemistry Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:00:22 EDT news473330779 For decades, scientists and doctors have known that bacteria in soil were capable of manufacturing streptozotocin, an antibiotic compound that is also an important treatment for certain types of pancreatic cancer. https://phys.org/news/2019-02-unravels-microbes-key-compound-cancer.html Biochemistry Thu, 07 Feb 2019 03:41:16 EST news468733258 The genus Vibrio is one of the best model marine heterotrophic bacterial groups, and many Vibrio species grow very quickly with short generation times. In addition, many Vibrio spp. are well-known bacterial pathogens, causing disease in humans or marine animals. For example, Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of cholera. Over the past 40 years, many nonpathogenic species of Vibrio have also been described. https://phys.org/news/2018-10-scientists-vibrios-significant-roles-marine.html Earth Sciences Tue, 02 Oct 2018 06:46:26 EDT news457681477 In a new study, researchers show that engineered nanosponges that are encapsulated in the membranes of red blood cells can reduce the severity of infections caused by group A Streptococcus, the bacteria responsible for strep throat and life-threatening infections such as necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh-eating disease. The new treatment approach could be particularly useful for severe or antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. https://phys.org/news/2017-04-nanosponges-lessen-severity-streptococcal-infections.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 24 Apr 2017 13:30:01 EDT news412256365 Sick wild house mice spend time away from their social groups, leading to a decrease in their potential for disease transmission according to a new study by evolutionary biologists from the University of Zurich in collaboration with the ETH Zurich. The results can improve models focused on predicting the spread of infectious diseases like influenza or Ebola in humans. https://phys.org/news/2016-08-sick-animals-limit-disease-transmission.html Evolution Mon, 22 Aug 2016 09:40:37 EDT news391077620 (Phys.org)—A new DNA sequencing technique has enabled researchers to map for the first time the influential chemical modifications known as methylation marks throughout the genome of a pathogenic bacterium. By comparing these patterns between related strains of the bacteria, they stumbled upon a way that viruses that infect bacteria (known as bacteriophages) can dramatically alter their host. https://phys.org/news/2012-11-genome-wide-methylation-disease-causing-coli-reveals.html Biotechnology Mon, 19 Nov 2012 07:12:22 EST news272531534 An international team of researchers, led by scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, suggest that inactivation of two specific genes related to the immune system may have conferred selected ancestors of modern humans with improved protection from some pathogenic bacterial strains, such as Escherichia coli K1 and Group B Streptococci, the leading causes of sepsis and meningitis in human fetuses, newborns and infants. https://phys.org/news/2012-06-infectious-disease-human.html Evolution Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:00:16 EDT news258035713 Marine bacteria live in a harsh mileu. They must constantly cope and adapt to changes in salinity, pH, temperature and other parameters. In her thesis, Barbara Weber, Umea University, studied how bacteria communicate with each other. https://phys.org/news/2010-09-marine-bacteria-cope-harsh-mileu.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:10:05 EDT news203082120 (PhysOrg.com) -- The increasing antibiotic resistance of bacteria is a serious problem of our time. Hospital germs in particular have developed strains against which practically every current antibiotic is ineffective. In the battle against resistant microbes, a team at the University of Münster (Germany) is now pursuing a new approach involving photodynamic therapy, which is a technique that is already being used in the treatment of certain forms of cancer and macular degeneration. https://phys.org/news/2009-10-death-nanoparticles-agents-photodynamic-antibiotic-resistant.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:38:51 EDT news173954300