The winners of the Applied Microbiology International Horizon Awards 2025 have been announced. The prizes, awarded by the learned society Applied Microbiology International (AMI), celebrate the brightest minds in the field and promote the research, group, projects, products and individuals who continue to help shape the future of applied microbiology.

Dr. Brett Finlay is a leading expert in how microbes affect health for better and for worse. He teamed up with his daughter, gerontologist Jessica Finlay, to publish their new book The Microbiome Master Key, which explores the unexpected ways in which microbes influence areas ranging from cognition and mood to immunity and susceptibility to disease. In this Q&A, the authors dissect the latest microbiome research, dispel common myths and provide simple, science-backed tips on how to leverage your microbiome to promote healthy living and aging.

Sonoma County is known for its rolling fields and famed vineyards, making the region a pillar in California’s wine industry. But a sweeping new survey from UC Berkeley has found that approximately 75% of agricultural workers there have worked during wildfires since 2017, raising questions about worker safety and a program that could further expose workers during wildfire evacuations. 

A new study, published in Nature Communications, shows how RNA — normally just a messenger — gets hijacked to build liquid-like “droplet hubs” in the nucleus of cells. These hubs act as command centers, switching on growth-promoting genes. But the research team at Texas A&M University didn’t stop at observing this; they created a molecular switch to dissolve the hubs on demand, cutting off the cancer’s growth at its source.