This year’s ESF list of the top new species discovered over the past 12 months features a bizarre beetle that lives undercover among ants, a fish living deeper in the ocean than ever thought possible, and a previously undiscovered single-celled organism found in an aquarium in California.
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Scientists studying tough microbes called archaea may have uncovered the key to an anti-aging drug. By manipulating a “super hero” protein, the researchers found a way to “trick” cells into acting younger by keeping the DNA repairing process running much longer than usual.
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A new study from an international team of scientists proposes that microbial life could exist in the clouds of Venus. The exciting hypothesis suggests mysterious dark patches seen in the atmosphere could be something akin to algae blooms seen in oceans on Earth.
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If the goose that laid the golden egg had a real-life counterpart, it would be C. metallidurans. This bacterium consumes toxic metals and excretes tiny gold nuggets, but how and why has never been fully understood. Now researchers have peered inside the microorganism and figured out that mechanism.
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How to feed astronauts on long space voyages is a major logistical problem, so researchers at Penn State are studying how to convert solid and liquid human waste into food. That may sound gross, but microbial reactors can break down the waste and convert it into an edible form.
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A new study from a team at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has found that some non-toxic food preservatives, added to food for antimicrobial properties, could be unexpectedly and adversely interacting with out gut microbiome.
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A dizzying number of microbes call the human body home, and it turns out that science knows very little about most of them.
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We tend to think of bacteria as bad news, but some types found in our stomaches can bring great health benefits. Now, scientists have discovered a gut microbe that could be used to treat diseases outside the stomach, presenting new territory for these belly-dwelling bacteria.
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A Finnish research project has created a batch of protein using electricity, water, carbon dioxide and microbes, in a small portable lab. The stuff is edible and nutritious enough for cooking or livestock feed, and the system could eventually be used to grow food in areas where it’s needed the most.
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A team at MIT has developed a material to make activewear a bit more active in cooling the wearer. The outfit is made out of a living “biofabric” full of microbial cells, which automatically open flaps in the shirt when they sense heat and sweat, to help the wearer cool off.
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