Bacillus amyloliquefaciens X60, a biocontrol strain isolated from tobacco rhizosphere, demonstrates broad-spectrum antagonistic activity against 25 fungal and 9 bacterial species colonizing the tobacco phyllosphere. In field trials, the strain achieved 52.35% control efficacy against tobacco leaf spot and reduced the relative abundance of phytopathogenic fungi from 44.87% to 6.71%. Amplicon sequencing revealed that X60 rapidly suppressed key pathogens such as Verticillium while preserving core phyllosphere microbial taxa including Pantoea and Sampaiozyma, highlighting its potential as an environmentally compatible biocontrol agent.

Each year, the processing of Glycyrrhiza uralensis—one of the most widely used herbs in traditional Chinese medicine—generates over 6 million tons of residue. This waste is rich in cellulose and bioactive flavonoids, but the very compounds that give Glycyrrhiza uralensis its medicinal value also inhibit the microbes needed to break it down. Now, researchers have identified a fungal strain that not only tolerates these inhibitory compounds but actually adjusts its defense strategy depending on how much it faces. The discovery could unlock more efficient ways to convert Glycyrrhiza uralensis processing waste into valuable industrial products.Each year, the processing of Glycyrrhiza uralensis—one of the most widely used herbs in traditional Chinese medicine—generates over 6 million tons of residue. This waste is rich in cellulose and bioactive flavonoids, but the very compounds that give Glycyrrhiza uralensis its medicinal value also inhibit the microbes needed to break it down. Now, researchers have identified a fungal strain that not only tolerates these inhibitory compounds but actually adjusts its defense strategy depending on how much it faces. The discovery could unlock more efficient ways to convert Glycyrrhiza uralensis processing waste into valuable industrial products.Each year, the processing of Glycyrrhiza uralensis—one of the most widely used herbs in traditional Chinese medicine—generates over 6 million tons of residue. This waste is rich in cellulose and bioactive flavonoids, but the very compounds that give Glycyrrhiza uralensis its medicinal value also inhibit the microbes needed to break it down. Now, researchers have identified a fungal strain that not only tolerates these inhibitory compounds but actually adjusts its defense strategy depending on how much it faces. The discovery could unlock more efficient ways to convert Glycyrrhiza uralensis processing waste into valuable industrial products.Each year, the processing of Glycyrrhiza uralensis—one of the most widely used herbs in traditional Chinese medicine—generates over 6 million tons of residue. This waste is rich in cellulose and bioactive flavonoids, but the very compounds that give Glycyrrhiza uralensis its medicinal value also inhibit the microbes needed to break it down. Now, researchers have identified a fungal strain that not only tolerates these inhibitory compounds but actually adjusts its defense strategy depending on how much it faces. The discovery could unlock more efficient ways to convert Glycyrrhiza uralensis processing waste into valuable industrial products.

Researchers reveal that the A and B subunits of E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) activate mucosal immunity through distinct pathways. LTB engages NF-κB, upregulating IL‑6, IL‑8, IL‑1β, and TNF‑α, and induces early apoptosis. LTA activates the NLRP3 inflammasome, triggering pyroptosis and promoting IL‑18 and IL‑1β secretion. The mutant LTA(R192G) retains NLRP3 activation with reduced toxicity. These findings demonstrate that LT's adjuvant activity stems from subunit‑specific signaling—NF‑κB for LTB and NLRP3 for LTA—offering a clear strategy to design safer, subunit‑based mucosal vaccine adjuvants by eliminating toxicity while preserving immunostimulatory pathways.

In International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, researchers have flipped a long-standing manufacturing curse on its head, using the destructive friction heat of high-speed cutting to trigger a chemical reaction that lets diamond tools carve brittle crystals as smoothly as butter.

Meloidogyne incognita is one of the most destructive plant-parasitic nematodes worldwide, causing severe economic losses in agricultural production. Biocontrol bacteria can effectively control M. incognita, with significant differences in control efficacy among different strains. However, the mechanisms underlying differences in control efficacy remain unclear.

A severe gut disease in premature infants, known as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), does far more than damage the intestines—it fundamentally alters brain development, leaving up to 40% of survivors with lasting cognitive, motor, and behavioral impairments. 

A research paper by scientists at University of Cambridge presented an integrated bone–eye axis framework showing that lower bone mineral density is associated with higher age-related macular degeneration risk and may serve as an accessible marker of systemic aging-related retinal vulnerability.

The research paper, published on Sept 14, 2026 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems.

Why do some heatwaves last through the night in the Yangtze River Basin?

Published in the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, researchers improved the balance of strength and ductility by using laser powder bed fusion to create alternating coarse- and fine-grained regions in a zinc–copper alloy.

Researchers at Capital Normal University and the Henan Academy of Sciences have found that random SERS fluctuations are more than experimental noise: the full intensity distribution evolves systematically with analyte concentration. By combining these concentration-encoded statistical patterns with a compact ResNet4 model, the team accurately identified concentration levels for a model dye, methamphetamine, pesticide residues, and a drug in artificial serum, opening a new route to reliable ultrasensitive SERS quantitation.