Uganda Science News API

{
    "totalArticles": 938,
    "articles": [
        {
            "id": "11a2ccec2838e222c316fbcf230dffab",
            "title": "Wheat and microbes compete underground for vital nitrogen",
            "description": "Soil acidity shapes the battle between wheat and microbes for nitrogen, with major implications for fertilizer efficiency.",
            "content": "For over a century, farmers have been concerned about nitrogen. It is one of the main nutrients crops need to grow.\nWithout it, wheat plants remain short and pale. With a healthy amount of nitrogen, they flourish and grow strong, filling grain bins e... [4587 chars]",
            "url": "https://www.earth.com/news/wheat-and-microbes-compete-underground-for-vital-nitrogen/",
            "image": "https://cff2.earth.com/uploads/2026/02/21155833/Wheat-nitrogen-uptake.jpg",
            "publishedAt": "2026-02-22T00:11:15Z",
            "lang": "en",
            "source": {
                "id": "fca72a05020e12df547eedb79c870663",
                "name": "Earth.com",
                "url": "https://www.earth.com"
            }
        },
        {
            "id": "2c8618f34d9dcd0203e0ef5a18ddf0df",
            "title": "Effector conformational plasticity enables lineage-specific secretion via Hcp heterohexamers in gut symbionts",
            "description": "The Type VI Secretion System (T6SS) delivers effectors to mediate interbacterial competition. While the conserved hexameric Hcp ring is acknowledged as a key effector carrier, the mechanism by which it recognizes and accommodates structurally diverse cargos remains unclear. Notably, gut-dominant Bacteroidota species encode at least five hcp genes within their T6SS loci, yet the biological significance of this multiplicity is unknown. Here, we show that Hcp2 and Hcp3 form an obligate heterohexamer essential for effector translocation. Cryo-EM structures reveal that the effector Bte1 undergoes substantial conformational rearrangements to fit into the rigid Hcp pore. Structural, evolutionary, and functional analyses demonstrate that lineage-specific Hcp2-Hcp3 complexes selectively associate with distinct effectors. This specificity is mediated primarily by hypervariable interfaces on Hcp3, which recognize a structurally conserved N-terminal module in effectors via a “lock-and-key” co-evolutionary mechanism. Our findings provide insights into effector-specific delivery in gut symbionts through combinatorial Hcp assembly, redefine the rules of T6SS cargo selection by highlighting conformational adaptability, and suggest potential engineering applications. A conserved hexameric ring functions as an effector carrier in bacterial type VI secretion systems. Here, the authors shed light on the ring’s assembly mechanisms and how it recognizes structurally diverse protein cargos in Bacteroides fragilis.",
            "content": "García-Bayona, L. & Comstock, L. E. Bacterial antagonism in host-associated microbial communities. Science 361, eaat2456 (2018).\nJiang, K. et al. Interbacterial warfare in the human gut: insights from Bacteroidales’ perspective. Gut Microbes 17, 2473... [9858 chars]",
            "url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-69309-z?error=cookies_not_supported&code=fc98dbf8-3cbc-4dd4-bab9-0334bb05b450",
            "image": "https://www.nature.com/static/images/favicons/nature/favicon-48x48-b52890008c.png",
            "publishedAt": "2026-02-21T06:56:15Z",
            "lang": "en",
            "source": {
                "id": "7abf0df285fbe93cdccffcc7c4088737",
                "name": "Nature",
                "url": "https://www.nature.com"
            }
        },
        {
            "id": "72983b9c185f002fed542d5dcff926e7",
            "title": "Whales blow \"bubble smoke rings\" to communicate with humans",
            "description": "Humpback whales were observed blowing bubble rings near humans. This rare behavior may reflect playfulness, curiosity, or communication.",
            "content": "Whales are known to be intelligent. They use complex sounds, travel in social groups, and show strong memory. But what happens when they do something not tied to feeding or mating? Could they interact in a creative and playful way using bubble rings?... [5243 chars]",
            "url": "https://www.earth.com/news/humpback-whales-blow-bubble-smoke-rings-near-humans-to-communicate/",
            "image": "https://cff2.earth.com/uploads/2025/06/08105337/humpback-whales_bubble-smoke-rings_human-communication_montage_WhaleSETI_1m.jpg",
            "publishedAt": "2026-02-20T19:28:05Z",
            "lang": "en",
            "source": {
                "id": "fca72a05020e12df547eedb79c870663",
                "name": "Earth.com",
                "url": "https://www.earth.com"
            }
        }
    ]
}