Matters Microbial

Latest Episodes:

Matters Microbial #49: Microbes and Macrobes: Always Interconnected Jul 25, 2024

Show notes

Today, Dr. Margaret McFall-Ngai of the California Institute of Technology, joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss her philosophy of the future of biology. Dr. McFall-Ngai has been described as "…a recognized thought leader regarding the cornerstone role microbiology plays in the life sciences." I could not agree more.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Margaret McFall-Ngai

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Links for this episode

For beginning #Micronauts, I suggest this overview of the amazing roles microbes play in the lives of animals and plants: "We are living in a bacterial world, and it's impacting us more than previously thought".
Here is the more advanced article coauthored by Dr.McFall-Ngai on this topic: "Animals in a Bacterial World." A must read.
A video on this topic by Dr. McFall-Ngai.
Another video on this topic by Dr. McFall-Ngai.
A wonderful review of the squid-Vibrio symbiosis (relevant to discussion) from the laboratory of Dr. Karen Visick.
The TCT story: how the same signal creates a light organ in squid and disease in humans.
PAMPs versus MAMPs as a paradigm shift.
A wonderful profile on Dr. McFall-Ngai
An essay about career building by Dr. McFall-Ngai.
Margaret McFall-Ngai's faculty website.
The McFall-Ngai laboratory website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #48: Many are bright but few are chosen Jul 18, 2024

Show notes

Today, Dr. Mark Mandel, Professor of Medical Microbiology & Immunology at University of Wisconsin-Madison, joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the research his laboratory group does exploring how the luminous bacterium Vibrio fischeri finds its way into its symbiotic partner, the Hawai'ian Bobtail squid Euprymna scolopes. It will be an enlightening podcast!

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Mark Mandel

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Links for this episode

A video for introductory #Micronauts about the squid-Vibrio symbiosis featuring science journalist Ed Yong and two founders of the field, Dr. Ned Ruby and Dr. Margaret McFall-Ngai.
An engaging video about Euprymna scolopes, the larger partner in this symbiosis, described by Dr. McFall-Ngai.
A more advanced overview to this field, authored by Dr. Ned Ruby, Dr. Eric Stabb, and Dr. Karen Visick.
A very complete recent review of the field from Dr. Visick's lab.
A video presentation by Dr. Mandel about this symbiosis.
The first paper discussed by Dr. Mandel: "Hybrid Histidine Kinase BinK Represses Vibrio fischeri Biofilm Signaling at Multiple Developmental Stages."
The second paper discussed by Dr. Mandel: "High Levels of Cyclic Diguanylate Interfere with Beneficial Bacterial Colonization."
The third paper discussed by Dr. Mandel: "Mobile-CRISPRi as a powerful tool for modulating Vibrio gene expression."
Dr. Mandel's faculty website.
Dr. Mandel's laboratory website

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #47: A lifetime enamored with microbes Jul 11, 2024

Show notes

Today, Dr. Roberto Kolter, Emeritus Professor of Microbiology at Harvard University (and past President of the American Society for Microbiology), joins the Quality Quorum to discuss his life long interest in microbes and microbiology, and how best to present microbiology to the public.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Roberto Kolter

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A wonderful article about the complexities of how microbes look and grow with live graphics. I use this article with my introductory #Micronauts every Fall. Beautiful!
An article by Dr. Kolter discussing how to choose a study problem in microbiology…and other areas.
The book "Life at the Edge of Sight" by Dr. Roberto Kolter and Dr. Scott Chimileski is very much worth your time. Highly recommended.
Dr. Scott Chimileski's website, with beautiful photographs of bacterial colonies.
An article on the history of microbiology by Dr. Kolter.
The article by Dr. Kolter I discussed during the podcast, "Biofilms in lab and nature: a molecular geneticist's voyage to microbial ecology."
A lecture by Dr. Kolter and Dr. Chimileski at Harvard University Museum of Natural History.
Another lecture at the Harvard University Museum of Natural History by Dr. Kolter and Dr. Chimileski.
Images from the "World in a Drop Exhibition" can be found here.
An essay from "Small Things Considered" on abortive transduction, discussed in the podcast. Here is another essay on that topic.
A biography of Dr. Kolter.
Dr. Kolter's laboratory website with many interesting links.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #46: Parsley, Sage, Cholera, and Thyme with Nkrumah Grant Jul 04, 2024

Show notes

Today, Dr. Nkrumah Grant, Assistant Professor of Microbiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, joins the Quality Quorum today to discuss aspects of his work in bacterial evolution, the challenges of setting up a new research laboratory, and his quite inspiring journey in academia.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Nkrumah Grant

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Links for this episode

The long term evolution LTEE program by Rich Lenski and his colleagues, studying bacterial evolution in E. coli.
Rich Lenski's website.
An enjoyable video about this program.
A wonderful explainer of the LTEE program for beginning Micronauts.
Cholera as a disease.
Vibrio cholera the bacterium.
Mechanisms of the cholera toxin.
An article about Vibrio cholera, chitin, and natural transformation.
Rita Colwell, and her research showing how filtering through sari cloth could reduce the incidence of cholera. Here is an overview for new Micronauts.
Chris Waters' laboratory website at Michigan State University.
An overview from the American Society for Microbiology, suggesting that many food items are in fact antimicrobial.
A review article on the topic of antimicrobial components of food.
A preprint of Dr. Grant's research that was discussed during the podcast.
An inspirational video of Dr. Grant's path through science.
Another video about Dr. Grant's life.
An article about Dr. Grant's story.
An article by Dr. Grant's institution, welcoming him to Urbana, Illinois.
Dr. Grant's faculty page at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #45: CU Later Microbes: Copper as an Antimicrobial Agent! Jun 27, 2024

Show notes

Today, Dr. Michael Schmidt of This Week in Microbiology and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology of the Medical University of South Carolina, joins the Quality Quorum (at a special "live audience" podcast session at the American Society for Microbiology in Atlanta, Georgia) to discuss his fascinating work with copper as an antimicrobial agent.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Michael Schmidt

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Links for this episode

An overview about antimicrobial copper.
An article about the mechanism by which copper metal destroys bacteria and viruses.
A review article about the use of copper metal to reduce disease transmission in hospitals.
Here is an older YouTube video by Dr. Schmidt about the use of antimicrobial copper.
A news story about Dr. Schmidt's work with copper and disease causing organisms in hospitals.
A recent article on this topic by Dr. Schmidt and colleagues.
The faculty website for Dr. Schmidt.
The laboratory website for Dr. Schmidt (with many excellent references on this topic to peruse).

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #44: Labs, Labs, Congress, and Classrooms! Jun 21, 2024

Show notes

Today, Dr. Kimberly Walker, Assistant Professor and Director of Medical Diagnostics at the University of Delaware, joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss her interesting path in microbiology, from pathogenic bacteria, to predatory microbes, to Congress, to science policy, and then to educating others about medical diagnostics.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Kimberly Walker

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Links for this episode

An article about the wonderful Microbial Diversity Course put on by the Marine Biological Laboratories at Woods Hole Massachusetts.
The website for the Microbial diversity course. Is it not beyond merely awesome?
An essay I wrote about the late Dr. Abigail Salyers.
An essay I wrote about the late Dr. Edward Leadbetter.
An article on the value of mentorship in general and the challenges to be faced. If you would like to dig deeper, here is an entire book on the vital subject.
An overview about Medical Laboratory careers.
Here is a link to the Congressional Science Fellows program, for which Dr. Walker was an aide to the late Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota.
Here is the website for Dr. Alison Weiss, Dr. Walker's PhD advisor, who was a wonderful mentor.
Here is the website for Dr. Henry Williams, who was another fabulous mentor to Dr. Walker.
Here is a link to the forensics lab for which Dr. Walker was on the Advisory Board.
A link to Lorain County Community College, where Dr. Walker ran the MLT and Phebotomy program.
A link to the University of Maryland Department of Medical and Research Technology, where Dr. Walker earned her degree and worked for ten years.
Dr. Walker's faculty website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #43: New Archaea from old habitats Jun 06, 2024

Show notes

Today, Dr. Roland Hatzenpichler of Montana State University joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the central importance of archaea to our knowledge of the microbial world, ranging from history of their study, misconceptions about archaea, the microbiological bounty of Yellowstone National Park, and how ancient archaea may be the Asgard like ancestors of us all.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Roland Hatzenpichler

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Links for this episode

A solid video describing the archaea.
A wonderful if dated (ASM, you need to make an updated version) video about the contributions of Carl Woese to the description of the archaea.
An essay by yours truly about Carl Woese (and the only time I will EVER be published in the journal RNA Biology.)
A more solid essay about Carl Woese.
A MUST READ article by Ed Yong on the role that Norm Pace has played in understanding the microbial world.
An article about the role Yellowstone National Park has played in microbiology.
An article about the wonderful "underwater oasis" called "Asgard."
A wonderful article by Ed Yong about what could be our remote ancestors, the Lokiarcheota.
The first paper that was mentioned: Carl Woese's discovery of the archaea.
From the second group of articles that were mentioned: archaea are everywhere.
From the third group of articles that were mentioned: archaea drive biogeochemical cycles.
From the fourth group of articles that were mentioned: Lokiarcheota may bridge the gap between prokaryote and eukaryote.
A video on extremophiles from Dr. Hatzenpichler.
Dr. Hatzenpichler's faculty profile.
Dr. Hatzenpichler's quite wonderful laboratory website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #42: Many paths to microbiology with Jessica Buchser May 30, 2024

Show notes

Today, Jessica Buchser, graduate of West Chester University and entering PhD student at Pennsylvania State University joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss being an older student, how social media and podcasts fueled her interest in the microbial sciences, and her future path as a microbiologist!

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Jessica Buchser

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Links for this episode

The video that Dr. Jennifer Quinn and yours truly did for Harvard University's Microbial Science Initiative this April.
A link to the Microbial Science Initiative.
An overview of scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Website for West Chester University's Biology Department, where Jess Buchser just earned her undergraduate degree.
The website of Dr. John Pisciotta, one of Jess Buchser's mentors at West Chester University.
The website of Dr. Manu Ramalho, one of Jess Buchser's mentors at West Chester University (an prior podcast guest for #MattersMicrobial episode #32).
The website of Dr. Seth Bordenstein, who will be Jess Bucher's PhD advisor at Pennsylvania State University in the Fall (and also a prior podcast guest for #MattersMicrobial episode #3).
An essay on the importance of mentors and mentorship in the microbial sciences.
Useful resources for older and nontraditional undergraduate students in STEM fields. Here is another essay on this topic.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #41: Giant Bacteria: Not All Are Small! with Esther Angert May 23, 2024

Show notes

Today, Dr. Esther Angert of Cornell University joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the role her research collaborators have had studying truly gigantic bacteria, and the adaptations these enormous microbes must make to their size!

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Esther Angert

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Links for this episode

A video describing the surface area versus volume problem in biology.
A wonderful introductory essay on sizes of bacteria…both big and small.
An older review article on giant bacteria.
A more recent review article on giant bacteria.
A video about Epulopiscium.
An essay about Epulopiscium.
An overview of Epulopiscium by Dr. Angert.
A recent research article on Epulopiscium from Dr. Angert's research group.
An essay about Thiomargarita namibiensis.
An essay about Achromatium, another giant microbe.
An essay about the current most mammoth microbe, Thiomargarita magnifica
A more scientific article on Thiomargarita magnifica with Dr. Angert as co-author.
Dr. Angert's faculty and administrative website.
Dr. Angert's truly wonderful laboratory website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #40: Using THOR's hammer to investigate microbial communities May 16, 2024

Show notes

Today, Dr. Jo Handelsman of the University of Wisconsin Madison and Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the work she and her research collaborators do on interactive microbial communities, using THOR (the hitchhikers of the rhizosphere) as a model system. She will also remind us how vital soil is to our lives.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Jo Handlesman

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Links for this episode

An article on the story of "uranium glass," that fluoresces under ultraviolet light. Here is another interesting article on the topic.
The website for Hartiful, who makes custom enamel pins (including some that glow in the dark, as all cool things should).
Giant Microbes makes small and large plush toys of microbes and other biology related items.
An overview of ice nucleation proteins. Here is a more technical article on the topic.
The story of SNOWMAX.
Ice nucleation proteins and snowflakes.
One of my favorite videos from my microbiology class in 2008, demonstrating ice nucleation by Pseudomonas syringae.
The website for the Tiny Earth antibiotic crowdsourcing CURE.
The website for Dr. Handelsman's book, "A World Without Soil."
An explainer of THOR, for new micronauts.
A technical publication from Dr. Handelsman's research group on THOR.
An explainer of microbial "zorbs," for new micronauts.
A technical publication from Dr. Handelsman's research group on "zorbs."
Dr. Handelsman's page on Wikipedia.
Dr. Handelsman's faculty page.
Dr. Handelsman's research website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

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