Matters Microbial

Latest Episodes:

Matters Microbial #39: Global flatulence: Mysterious Archaea and methane May 09, 2024

Show notes

Today, Dr. Geo Santiago-Martinez, Assistant Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology and Microbiology at the University of Connecticut joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the mysteries of the archaeal world, and how one group of these organisms produce methane gas as a byproduct of metabolism. These methanogens are thus involved in climate, symbioses, biotechnology, and even astrobiology!

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Geo Santiago-Martinez

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Links for this episode

An essay about how cyanobacteria changed our very planet.
A truly wonderful and highly recommended video about Leeuwenhoek and how he was the first to "see through microbial eyes." PLEASE WATCH THIS AMAZING VIDEO!.
A link to the Boerhaave Museum in Amsterdam (well worth the visit!) including how to obtain a replica of the Leeuwenhoek microscope (*I* do not have one—they are awesome!).
A video overview of the archaea.
A review article on the archaea.
Haloquadratum walsbyi: a square archaean.
Pyrodictium abyssi: a netlike organism.
The process of methanogenesis by archaea (focused on the gut).
An essay describing how methanogenic archaea may impact climate change.
The famous Volta experiment!
An article on Methanosarcina acetivorans, studied by Dr. Santiago-Martinez and his coworkers.
A very interesting article on methanogenesis by Dr. Santiago-Martinez.
A wonderful video of Dr. Santiago-Martinez and his collaborators' research.
The Archaea Power Hour website.
The Cientifico Latino website, increasing diversity within STEM.
Dr. Santiago-Martinez's faculty website.
Dr. Santiago-Martinez's laboratory website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #38: Microbes, cheese, and Brie-ond! May 02, 2024

Show notes

Today, Dr. Rachel Dutton, Science Resident at the Astera Institute in Berkeley, California, joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the complex (and tasty) microbial communities responsible for cheese as a model system for microbial interactions, as well as her interesting path through science.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Rachel Dutton

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Links for this episode

An introduction to the idea of sociomicrobiology.
A more technical review of sociomicrobiology.
Another more recent technical review of sociomicrobiology.
A popular introduction to the ideas behind microbiology and cheesemaking.
An article about cheese microbes.
An article about viewing fermented foods like cheese as a way to study microbial ecosystems.
Evidence for horizontal gene transfer within cheese microbial communities.
A wonderful video about cheese microbiology.
A video by Dr. Dutton about her work in cheese microbiology.
A more recent (2023) video from Dr. Dutton about her cheese community research.
Dr. Dutton's website on cheese microbiology.
Dr. Ben Wolfe's website on cheese microbiology.
A podcast with Dr. Dutton from ASM.
A popular article about Dr. Dutton's work with cheese microbiology.
Dr. Dutton's Wikipedia page!
An overview of Arcadia Science.
An overview of the Astera Institute.
Dr. Dutton's site at Astera.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #37: Wolbachia and STEM: Two symbioses! Apr 25, 2024

Show notes

Today, Sarah Bordenstein, Associate Research Professor of Biology & Entomology at Penn State University and Director of Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project joins the #QualityQuorum to tell us about the most successful pandemic on the planet, the fascinating endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia, and how she has used this fascinating system to teach young people about molecular biology, bioinformatics, and evolution.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Sarah Bordenstein

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An overview about trilobites.
The story of Beecher's Quarry.
An article about the fine work of Markus Martin.
The microbially influenced glass art of Jane Hartman.
An overview of metagenomics as a scientific field.
An article about finding antibiotic resistance genes in unexpected places.
A popular article on Wolbachia by Ed Yong
Another popular article on Wolbachia, describing the effects on their host.
A more scientific review about Wolbachia.
A quick video overview of the program that Professor Bordenstein and colleagues use to teach about Wolbachia and STEM.
The "Wolbachia Project" website.
The "Wolbachia Project Database" website.
The Bordenstein Laboratory website.
A prestigious award to Professor Bordenstein.
Sarah Bordenstein's faculty website at Penn State

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #36: Leafy microbial strangers with benefits Apr 18, 2024

Show notes

Today, Dr. Jeri Barak of the University of Wisconsin Madison joins the #QualityQuorum to chat about how various microbes (some of which can cause disease in humans) can gain access to plants, sometimes via group behavior. With media coverage of Salmonella contamination in lettuce, Dr. Barak's work is especially timely! She will also discuss what it is like to be a plant pathologist!

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Jeri Barak

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Links for this episode

An overview of ammonite fossils.
An article about the amazing glowing petunia. And here is a second popular article on the Firefly Petunia. Finally, here is a more scientific article describing this achievement.
An overview of produce contamination by Salmonella and other pathogens. Here is another article worth your time.
An overview of pathogens to be found in the environment.
CDC guidelines and information about bacterial contamination of produce.
An absolutely fabulous overview of some of the work done in Dr. Barak's lab discussed during this episode. It is a wonderful science-communication with art essay. A must read for any interest level!
A article by Dr. Barak's group describing how a plant infection can allow human pathogens to proliferate inside of a plant.
Dr. Barak's faculty website.
Dr. Barak's laboratory website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #35: Clostridioides difficile: From Bench to Bedside and Back Again Apr 12, 2024

Show notes

Today, Dr. Vincent Young of the University of Michigan Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease Division in Ann Arbor, joins the #QualityQuorum to chat about the ecology of the human gut as it relates to a serious bacterial disease caused by Clostridiodes difficile. He will also discuss what it is like to be a medical scientist with both MD and PhD degrees.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Vincent Young

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Links for this episode

Backyard DNA sequencing—is this a possibility? Here is a source of information. And Sebastian Cocioba is a great source of information.
The company Giant Microbes makes a C. diff plush toy.
An introduction to C. difficile the bacterium.
An introduction to the disease caused by C. difficile.
Some journal articles by Dr. Young and his colleagues and discussed in this podcast: "Viewing Bacterial Colonization through the Lens of Systems Biology," "Capturing the environment of the Clostridioides difficile infection cycle," "Microbiome therapeutics for the treatment of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection," and "Longitudinal genomic surveillance ofcarriage and transmission of Clostridioides difficile in an intensive care unit."
Dr. Young's colleague Dr. Madeline Barron, who writes wonderful essays about microbiology for the American Society for Microbiology.
An informative interview with Dr. Young. Here is another good interview.
A good biography of Dr. Young from ASM.
Dr. Young's faculty website.
Dr. Young's laboratory website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #34: Artificial gut feelings: Gut microbes and the ECM Apr 04, 2024

Show notes

Today, Dr. Ana Maria Porras of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida, joins the #QualityQuorum to chat about her work studying gut microbes and the gut, IBDs, representation, and even how fiber arts can inspire microbial wonder!

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Ana Maria Porras

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Links for this episode

The announcement of Dr. Porras' prestigious CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation.
A basic introduction to irritable bowel syndrome.
An overview of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
An article about "remodeling" of the gut epithelia during IBS.
The journal article from Dr. Porras' research group discussed in today's podcast.
A video by Dr. Porras about her research.
A video by Dr. Porras about her microbial outreach using fabric arts, as well as an article on that topic.
Instructions from Dr. Porras describing how to crochet a microbe of your own!
Dr. Porras' faculty website.
Dr. Porras' laboratory website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #33: Ancient Fats in Modern Microbes with Paula Welander Mar 28, 2024

Show notes

Today, Dr. Paula Welander, Associate Professor of Environmental Earth System Science at Stanford University (and #DocMartian #4) joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the work she and her colleagues are doing probing at early life by studying lipid biosignatures that can appear in the fossil record—and the role that cholesterol and related molecules have on microbial life.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Paula Welander

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Links for this episode

A blog post I wrote about the truly remarkable late Dr. Abigail Salyers, who taught me the importance of being authentic as a scientist, educator, and human being.
An essay about the Great Oxidation Event early in our planet's history.
Information about BIFs—banded iron formations.
An overview of stromatolites, both popular and scholarly.
The Gunflint stromatolites.
The story of WIlliam Schopf and stromatolites.
The fluid mosaic model of cell membranes.
The role of cholesterol in membranes.
A nice description of some of Dr. Welander's work with hopanoids.
Hopanoids in cyanobacterial membranes.
An overview of biosignatures relevant to geobiology.
The cell membrane and other differences of archaea.
Adaptations to hyperthermophily in archaea and bacteria.
The "Echoes of Life" book mentioned in the podcast.
A fascinating article by Jo Handelsman and coauthors about implicit and unconscious bias in science. Here is an update on this work, and a video presentation.
A really interesting video interview with Dr. Welander.
Dr. Welander's departmental/divisional website.
Dr. Welander's laboratory website

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #32: What's bugging ants, microbially speaking? Mar 21, 2024

Show notes

Today, Dr. Manu Ramalho of West Chester University in Pennsylvania joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the wonderful world of ants, their microbiomes, and what their intersection can teach us about our place in the natural world.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Manu Ramalho

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Links for this episode

I wear some microbial themed ties made by Michele Banks of Artologica. Both Michele and Vexed Muddler understand #MicrobialArt.
One of the #LuxArt sessions that I conducted at an ASMCUE session a few years ago. Dr. Quinn and I would love to do more sessions!
Pi Day is an important mathematical holiday.
Dr. Jennifer Quinn at the University of Washington – Tacoma, proud member of the Mathematics Association of America, and on Wikipedia!
Albert Einstein's birthday.
The quite amusing 1950s movie about "giant ants," titled "Them!"
A review of Paul Buchner's encyclopedic work on endosymbiosis. Some day, I will own a copy of this book!
A wonderful book describing microbial symbionts of insects, titled "Influential Passengers."
A review of insects and endosymbionts.
Nutritional endosymbiosis in insects.
A review of Wolbachia.
When Wolbachia creates plant hormones to provide food for its insect hosts.
The website for "Discover the Microbes Within" which is a CURE based student sourced investigation of Wolbachia in arthropods. It was designed by Seth Bordenstein and Sarah Bordenstein.
An introduction to leaf cutter ants. Video.
An overview of the leaf cutter ant microbiome.
A very relevant article coauthored by Dr. Ramalho describing the relationship between turtle ants and their microbiome.
An interesting video interview with Dr. Ramalho.
Dr. Ramalho's faculty website.
Dr. Ramalho's laboratory website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #31: Spirochetes do things...differently Mar 14, 2024

Show notes

Today, Dr. Brian Stevenson of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss a twisty twirling form of life, spirochetes, ticks, and human diseases like Lyme Disease.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Brian Stevenson

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Links for this episode

The Latin Translator I have used (because if I am getting it tattoo'ed, I want it to be correct).
The custom enamel pins of Hartiful.
An overview of spirochetes in general.
A review of spirochete motility.
The strange world of ticks and spirochetes.
A review of Lyme disease.
A "House" episode involving Borrelia.
A wonderful review article by Dr. Stevenson.
Dr. Stevenson's faculty website.
Dr. Stevenson's laboratory website

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #30: Deep (Marine Microbial) Thoughts with Jennifer Biddle Mar 01, 2024

Show notes

Today, Dr. Jennifer Biddle of the School of Marine Science and Policy at the University of Delaware joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss deep microbial life in marine environments (and why you should care about it), as well as her fascination with archaea!

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Jennifer Biddle

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify

Become a patron of Matters Microbial!

Links for this episode

The Tiny Earth program website, originated by Dr. Jo Handelsman.
A review of the marine archaea.
An article about microbial diversity in marine sediments.
An article on methane and deep microbial sediments.
A nice blog post about sulfur oxidizing microbes in marine sediments.
Work by Dr. Biddle and colleagues on hydrogen consuming bacteria in deep sediments.
Work by Dr. Biddle and colleagues on geochemical processes promoting microbial growth in deep marine sediments..
The wonderfully strange skeleton shrimp discussed by Dr. Biddle.
A video explaining about taking a dive on the marine submersible Alvin.
Dr. Biddle's faculty website at the University of Delaware.
Dr. Biddle's laboratory website.
The forgotten woman who made microbiology possible

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

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