Matters Microbial

Latest Episodes:

Matters Microbial #19: You are what you(r microbes) eat Dec 08, 2023

Show notes

Today Dr. Suzanne Devkota of the Cedars-Sinai Division of Gastronterology and Director of the Cedars Sinai Human Microbiome Research Institute will tell us about the role that our diet plays in the gut microbiome, and how that can impact health. So it really is true: you ARE what you(r microbes) eat!

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Suzanne Devkota

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Links for this episode

An overview for beginning micronauts on diet and the human microbiome, from the Harvard School of Public Health.
A good review article for more experienced micronauts.
A really informative and engaging talk by Dr. Devkota about diet and the microbiome.
An article by Dr. Devkota about using the microbiome to explore health issues.
Another article by Dr. Devkota reviewing how dietary changes can impact the microbiome.
Dr. Devkota's faculty website.
Dr. Devkota's excellent laboratory website.
In addition, Dr. Devkota sent along two links: one to an overview of the microbiome institute at Cedars-Sinai, and one about how the Western diet impacts the human microbiome.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #18: The Perfect Predator: Why Phage is Rage Dec 01, 2023

Show notes

Today Dr. Steffanie Strathdee, Associate Dean of Global Health Sciences at UC San Diego and Co-Director at the Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics, will chat with us about how bacteriophages—viruses that attack bacteria—changed her life and are becoming part of our future.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Steffanie Strathdee

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Links for this episode

A fun video about bacteriophages.
A pretty solid overview about bacteriophages.
An article about the history of bacteriophages.
An article about a truly prophetic book—"Arrowsmith"--- from 1925, by Sinclair Lewis, about using bacteriophages to fight disease.
A wonderful TED talk about the rise of antibiotic resistant pathogens by Maryn McKenna.
A nice overview of ESKAPE pathogens and antimicrobial resistance.
A link to a recent talk given by Dr. Strathdee.
A link to Dr. Strathdee's recent book, "The Perfect Predator."
A super recent and quite wonderful review article about phage therapy by Dr. Strathdee.
The SEAPHAGES program (which I always wanted to be part of!!)
Ry Young's laboratory website.
Dr. Strathdee's faculty website.
Dr. Strathdee's Wikipedia page!
A link to the website of the Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics (IPATH).

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #17: Evolution in action for everyone with Vaughn Cooper Nov 24, 2023

Show notes

Today Dr. Vaughn Cooper, Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh, will chat with us about how he and his team teach high school students and undergraduates about evolution occurring in real time—using bacteria.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Vaughn Cooper

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Links for this episode

The Erg Chech 002 meteorite story, which is fascinating.
The "World Without Microbes" article—highly recommended.
The "World Without Microbes" video—quirky and fun, despite the subject matter.
A solid review of the work of Rich Lenski, as well as his website.
Vaugh Cooper's faculty website.
Vaughn Cooper's laboratory website.
Vaughn Cooper's "Evolving STEM" website.
A wonderful video by Dr. Cooper about Evolving STEM.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #16: What's bugging the fruit fly microbiome? Nov 17, 2023

Show notes

Today Dr. Nichole Broderick, Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at Johns Hopkins University, will chat with us about how the study of the fruit fly microbiome can give us insights into human health and disease.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest Nichole Broderick

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Links for this episode

The artist "Chocolate Menagerie"'s Etsy site.
Another nice introductory video about the microbiome for new micronauts.
An article describing how the press reports on microbiome-related issues.
A review describing how fruit flies can be good model systems for the study of disease.
Dr. Nichole Broderick's faculty website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #15: A Gut Feeling About Precision Medicine Nov 10, 2023

Show notes

Today Dr. Sean Gibbons, Associate Professor at the Institute for Systems Biology, will chat with us about how the study of host-associated microbial communities can give us insights into evolution, ecology, and even human health.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Dr. Sean Gibbons

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Links for this episode

A wonderful overview of ammonites, extinct so long ago.
A short biography of the late great Abigail Salyers, and another biography.
My blogpost remembering Abigail and her fine mentorship of yours truly.
A surprisingly solid overview of the microbiome.
A fine video introducing the human microbiome.
An article describing myths and misconceptions about the microbiome.
The wood rat - creosote - microbiome study discussed in today's session.
An introduction to the question, "What is systems biology?"
The Institute for Systems Biology website.
Sean Gibbons' faculty page at the Institute for Systems Biology.
Sean Gibbons' laboratory webpage.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #14: An inordinate fondness for viruses with Jack Gilbert Nov 03, 2023

Show notes

Today Dr. Jack Gilbert, Professor of Pediatrics and of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, chats with us about his MANY interests in microbiology, from human health to marine environments.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Jack Gilbert

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Links for this episode

Marley and Murtle's Etsy shop, which created my glow in the dark needle felted tardigrade.
My wife Dr. Jennifer Quinn's Wikipedia page and blog.
Ethan Kocak's fine artwork is found at his website.
An overview of the BLAST program used for sequence analysis.
An overview of RDP Classifier, no longer online, but can be downloaded to your own computer.
A brief biography of JBS Haldane, and the story of his wonderful quote about beetles.
A nice overview of microbiology and social equity, from the ASM website.
Dr. Susan Ishaq's working group of microbiology and social equity.
A great short video about Dr. Jack Gilbert's interests and philosophy.
Dr. Jack Gilbert's profile at UC San Diego, and his faculty website at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Dr. Jack Gilbert's laboratory website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #13: (Magnetically) attractive bacteria with Arash Komeili Oct 27, 2023

Show notes

Today Dr. Arash Komeili, professor of plant and microbial biology at UC Berkeley, joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss compartmentalization in bacteria, and the amazing world of living magnets—the magnetotactic bacteria!

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Arash Komeili

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Links for this episode

"Hooked by Bex"'s Etsy page.
An introduction to Paenibacillus.
More wonderful information on this fascinating bacterium.
Another remarkable article on colony pattern formation by this microbe.
An interesting essay about how Paenibacillus can move other organisms around, from the wonderful Small Things Considered blog.
Muriwai Beach in New Zealand.
Magnetic sand in New Zealand article.
A lovely introductory video about magnetotactic bacteria.
A video "dance" of the magnetotactic bacteria.
An introduction to magnetotactic bacteria.
Techniques to isolate/enrich for magnetotactic bacteria of your own.
A wonderful article on analyzing magnetotactic microbes from the Komeili lab.
Dr. Komeili's faculty website.
Dr. Komeili's laboratory website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #12: Shedding light on symbiosis with Ruth Isenberg Oct 20, 2023

Show notes

Today Dr. Ruth Isenberg, postdoctoral scholar (and former #DocMartian!) in the Willett Lab at the University of Minnesota, will tell us about her first generation path in science, the squid-Vibrio symbiosis work she did for her PhD, and her current career path.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Ruth Isenberg

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Links for this episode

The Sikhote-Alin meteorite fall.
An article on Kenyan Sand Boas.
An article on African Fire Skinks.
A video reminder about ice nucleation bacteria.
An article relating snowflakes to ice nucleation bacteria
A reminder of the nature of bacterial colonies.
The laboratory website of Dr. Kat Milligan-McClellan.
The laboratory website of Dr. Mark Mandel.
The laboratory website of Dr. Julia Willett.
A great place to begin thinking about the squid-Vibrio symbiosis, as well as the microbiome in general.
An excellent review article on the squid-Vibrio symbiosis.
A fun and accessible video from the famed science journalist Ed Yong about the squid-Vibrio symbiosis.
An article written by Ruth about her work on this symbiosis
Ruth's excellent claymation video made for my microbiology class about quorum sensing and the squid-Vibrio symbiosis. Student creativity matters!
Another #Micronaut's claymation video about Type VI secretory systems. Student creativity matters!

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #11: Viruses from hell with Ken Stedman Oct 13, 2023

Show notes

Today Dr. Ken Stedman, Professor of Biology at Portland State University, tells us about the strange and wonderful viruses of heat loving extremophilic archaea—truly viruses from Hell!

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Ken Stedman

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Links for this episode

A popular article about Markus Martin's work as a fossil expert extraordinaire.
Markus Martin's website.
One of Markus Martin's academic articles on trilobites.
An interesting article on the complexity of colony morphology by Bacillus subtilis.
An article about Serratia, prodigiosin, and temperature.
An article I wrote about educational aspects of the work of the late great Carl Woese.
An introduction to the diverse and fascinating archaea.
An introduction to the viruses of archaea.
Ken Stedman's fascinating laboratory website.
Ken Stedman's faculty website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Matters Microbial #10: Bacterial fight club Oct 06, 2023

Show notes

Today Dr. David Baltrus, Associate Professor of Plant Sciences at the University of Arizona, talks with us about how his laboratory studies bacteria that battle one another; the first rule of this fight club is that EVERYONE talks about Microbial Fight Club.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: David Baltrus

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Links for this episode

Here is a wonderful and easy to read essay about bacterial predators, including Bdellovibrio, from Scientific American.
"2001: A Space Odyssey" remains an important motion picture.
The animated movie "The Iron Giant" is entertaining and has important messages.
Kaitlin Kariko, Drew Weissman, and the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine.
Jo Handelsman's wonderful "Tiny Earth" program, helping students to search for new antibiotic producing bacteria.
Elio Schaechter's absolutely essential guide/view of the changing microbial landscape in terms of organizing our knowledge.
A nice introductory review of tailocins.
A more exhaustive review of talocins.
A really interesting article on this topic—and how tailocins might be used in agriculture— from Dr. Baltrus' laboratory.
Dr. Baltrus' laboratory website can be found here.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

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