MicroNews August

Posted on August 28, 2020   by Matt Bassett

MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss microbiology in the news over the last month. As COVID-19 is taking over the news elsewhere, we decided to focus on other stories from the microbial world, including how insect wings are inspiring new ways to fight superbugs, an extreme fungus that could protect astronauts from deadly radiation and the huge plankton bloom off the UK coast that can be seen from space.

Acute oak decline - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8642473/Gangrene-like-disease-plaguing-English-oak-trees-caused-bacteria-beetles.html 

Insect wings inspire new ways to fight superbugs - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200818103841.htm 

Why doesn't Ebola cause disease in bats, as it does in people? - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200818142147.htm 

Extreme Chernobyl fungus could protect astronauts from deadly radiation - https://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2020/07/extreme-chernobyl-fungus-could-protect-astronauts-from-deadly-radiation/ 

In space, bacteria is even more deadly and resilient to antibiotics - https://thenextweb.com/syndication/2020/08/09/in-space-bacteria-is-even-more-deadly-and-resilient-to-antibiotics/ 

Huge plankton bloom off UK coast visible from space - https://newseu.cgtn.com/news/2020-08-19/Huge-plankton-bloom-off-UK-coast-visible-from-space--T2oNj5LZLO/index.html