Keyword: microbes

Researchers working in Finland propose that the unique light environment of the Earth’s Polar regions creates conditions that result in circumpolar hybrid zones around the North and the South Poles. These extreme conditions increase the synchrony of reproductive phenology among species, i.e., force all species into a smaller window for reproduction. This will sustain biodiversity in the long term.

Researchers at the University of Turku found that even very low levels of glyphosate-based herbicide residues have a negative effect on endophytic microbes associated with garden strawberry. 

Soil microbes can have a great impact on the spread of harmful invasive species as they can either hinder or facilitate the plant’s growth. Researchers at the Department of Biology of the University of Turku, Finland, studied the role of soil microbiota in the success of garden lupine, which is an invasive species in the Finnish nature.

A new study identified microbial signatures which predicted the onset of type 2 diabetes during nearly 16 years of follow-up in a large Finnish population cohort. This study was conducted by researchers from the University of Turku and Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare (THL), together with international partners.

Exposure to antibiotics in the first days of life is thought to affect various physiological aspects of neonatal development. A new study conducted in Turku, Finland, reveals that antibiotic treatment within 14 days of birth is associated with reduced weight and height in boys, but not girls, up to the age of six.