Global study reveals how bacteria shape the health of lakes and reservoirs
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 26-Dec-2025 11:11 ET (26-Dec-2025 16:11 GMT/UTC)
Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn have discovered how a small, naturally occurring RNA molecule in the kidney activates a mutated immune receptor, triggering a chain reaction. In cooperation with Nanyang Technological University Singapore and the University Hospital Würzburg, among others, the study provides an explanation for how a point mutation in the immune receptor RIG-I transforms the body's defense system into a self-destructive force and causes severe organ-specific autoimmune diseases. The results have now been published in the journal Science Immunology.
Rural and primarily agricultural economies are the most susceptible to climate change and armed conflict. Climate-driven weather events add pressure to an already fragile system, affecting the socioeconomic conditions on which health depends, especially in ethnically divided or areas with scarce resources.