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Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), a detergent component, can harm plant growth when it contaminates soil and waterways. Authors explored the potential of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to mitigate SDS-induced stress on plants.

The study discusses the relationship between bacterial species and the human gut microbiome, emphasizing the role of quorum sensing molecules in bacterial communication and its implications for health. Authors investigated the impact of bacterial supernatants from Escherichia coli (E. coli) on the growth of new E. coli and Enterobacter aerogenes (E. aerogenes) cultures.

The authors looked at the ability of synthetic auxin to increase root hair growth in Arabidopsis thaliana. They found that 0.1 µM synthetic auxin significantly increased root hair length, but that 0.01 µM and 1 µM did not have any significant effect.

The authors test the effects of the pesticide captan on the growth of gut microbiome bacteria including Bacillus coagulan and Escherichia coli.

The authors test whether basil can grow in a simulated Martian soil improved with a waste-based fertilizer called Milorganite.

Here recognizing the potential for pollution to impact the ecosystems of local waterways, the authors investigated the growth of tiger lilies, which are invasive to the Potomac River, in relation to the level of pollution. The authors report that increasing levels of pollution led to increased growth of the invasive species based on their study.

Rhizopus stolonifer is a mold commonly found growing on bread that can cause many negative health effects when consumed. Preservatives are the well-known answer to this problem; however, many preservatives are not naturally found in food, and some have negative health effects of their own. We focused on honey as a possible solution because of its natural origin and self-preservation ability. We hypothesized that honey would decrease the growth rate of R. stolonifer . We evaluated the honey with a zone of inhibition (ZOI) test on agar plates. Sabouraud dextrose agar was mixed with differing volumes of honey to generate concentrations between 10.0% and 30.0%. These plates were then inoculated with a solution of spores collected from the mold. The ZOI was measured to determine antifungal effectiveness. A statistically significant difference was found between the means of all concentrations except for 20.0% and 22.5%. Our findings support the hypothesis as we showed a positive correlation between the honey concentration and growth rate of mold. By using this data, progress could be made on an all-natural, honey-based preservative.

The authors test the effectiveness of various cleaning agents on refrigerator shelves.

In this study, the authors investigate whether the addition of microbes from native soil enhanced the seed germination and growth of mung beans, pumpkins, and pea flower plants.

This study focused on finding more sustainable growing methods that reduce chemical fertilizer or water usage and can be used at the household level for garden plants. Metrics for healthy plant growth were height at first bloom, growing time, and survival rate. The Deep Water Culture (DWC) treatment for garden cress plants significantly increased the height at first bloom compared to the control group. For rates of surviving plants, the treatments had little effect on garden cress, but the Eggshell Grounds, Wick System, and DWC system groups outperformed the control group for marigolds.