An interdisciplinary research team led by the Leibniz-HKI in Jena has discovered a new group of bioactive natural products in pathogenic bacteria of the genus Pandoraea: pandorabactins. These enable the bacteria to extract vital iron from other microorganisms and can thus influence the microbial balance in the human lungs. Bacteria of the genus Pandoraea have so far been little studied. Their… Read more »
Bacteria can do it, amoebas can do it, even blood cells can do it: They all have the ability to move purposefully in liquids. And this despite the fact that they are extremely simple structures without a central control system. How can this be explained? A team from TU Wien, the University of Vienna, and Tufts University (USA) modeled this type of movement on a computer… Read more »
According to a new study, microbial ecosystems have tipping points where even minor disturbances are enough to cause a collapse. The authors from the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at the University of Oldenburg describe microbial communities as a network in which different populations exchange metabolic products. This web of interdependencies can collapse abruptly if individual populations are lost, the study concludes.… Read more »
The Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH has relaunched its online shop. The Leibniz Institute DSMZ is the world's most diverse collection of microorganisms and cell cultures. The relaunch offers researchers ordering products optimized navigation and a modern, intuitive design, making the online shop even more efficient to use. The goal of the relaunch was to improve the usability of the online shop for… Read more »
Movement is one of the clearest signs of life. Researchers at TU Berlin have now discovered that certain microbes react specifically to a chemical substance and actively move towards it – a principle that could help detect life on other planets in the future. Their findings could fundamentally change space missions, because the new method is not only simple, but also… Read more »
In the desert regions of Namibia, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, research has revealed unusual phenomena likely caused by an unknown microbiological life form: Unusually small holes – tiny tubes running parallel through the rock from top to bottom – have been discovered in the marble and limestone of these desert regions. “We were surprised because these tubes are apparently not… Read more »
Researchers from the University of Bayreuth and the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Göttingen have investigated the movement patterns of single-celled, hydrogen-producing green algae under different light intensities. The results will help improve the use of these microorganisms in biotechnological applications such as the production of renewable energy carriers. Photosynthetic microorganisms use light as an energy source and are living miniature factories that produce oxygen and store carbon… Read more »
Natural microorganisms can enrich plant-based foods like yellow peas with vitamin B12 and other vitamins through fermentation. This was demonstrated in a successful research project at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Switzerland. A plant-based diet is considered healthy and sustainable. The new Swiss food pyramid also promotes this. Until now, the essential vitamin B12 was not naturally present in a purely plant-based diet.… Read more »
