Microbe Talk: Recent Episodes
Microbiology Society
Microbe Talk is a podcast from the Microbiology Society, interviewing researchers about bacteria, viruses and parasites. We are the largest microbiology society in Europe, covering all aspects of microbial science.
This year the Microbiology Society is hosting FIS (the Federation of Infection Societies (FIS) conference) in partnership with HIS and BIA. FIS is all about fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration, so in this episode of Microbe Talk Clare speaks to Professor Elaine Coultman-Green, a microbiologist whose work spans clinical, lab, and patient-facing roles about the importance of collaboration across microbiology disciplines.
If you're inspired by this conversation and want more information regarding FIS, you can find the details and information on how to register here.
To find out more about the Society's Journal of Medical Microbiology which encourages the publication of cross-disciplinary research, please visit our website for more information about the scope and submission guidelines.
To follow Elaine, she is @girlymicro.
Music by Dmitrii Kolesnikova from Pixabay
You can also read the transcript of the podcast here.
For this episode of Microbe Talk, Clare is tackling the topic of AI in Microbial Genomics research. So what better time than now, to give AI a chance to generate the description?
The below description was generated by Chat GPT
In this captivating episode of Microbe Talk, your host Clare delves into the cutting-edge realm of microbial genomics and its fascinating intersection with artificial intelligence. Joining her in this stimulating discussion are two remarkable experts, Niamh Tumelty and Andrew Page, who are at the forefront of AI-driven advancements in microbial research.
Whether you're an AI aficionado, a genomics guru, or simply curious about the future of scientific discovery, this episode promises to spark your imagination and provide unparalleled insights. Join us on this journey into the realm where technology and biology intertwine, and witness the dawn of a new era in microbial research.
Tune in to Microbe Talk and embark on an intellectual adventure that bridges the gap between AI and microbial genomics.
Further information
Music: Space Chillout by penguinmusic from Pixabay
Niamh and Andrew's guest editorial, published in Microbial Genomics can be found on the Microbiology Society Journals website here.
Niamh and Andrew's podcasts:
https://soundcloud.com/microbinfie
https://soundcloud.com/research-pages
Niamh and Andrew's Twitter accounts:
twitter.com/niamhtumelty
twitter.com/andrewjpage
You can read the full transcript here.
In this episode of Microbe Talk, David Walker Sunderhaulf chats with Clare about his paper "Removal of AMR plasmids using a mobile, broad host-range CRISPR-Cas9 delivery tool" published in Microbiology.
If you'd like to read David's paper, you can find it here https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.001334. You can also follow him on twitter @davvi36.
Music: Time Technology by Comma-Media from Pixabay
Are you looking for a microbiology career pick me up? Well look no further! On this special episode of Microbe Talk, Clare sits down with Microbiology Society member Dr Oliver Severn to discuss his experience of working in industry.
Music: pixabay 'That science ambient' by Comma Studio.
In this special episode of Microbe Talk for Disability History Month, Charlie talks to Kirsty Jones about her experience of accessibility in labs.
A full transcript of this episode is available on the Microbiology Society website.
https://microbiologysociety.org/blog/podcast-disability-history-month.html
Music: Blue Dot Sessions 'The Corner Office'
Some fungal infections, like athletes' foot or thrush, are relatively common and are usually not serious. But in those with underlying conditions or compromised immune systems, fungal infections can be deadly.
In recent weeks, the World Health Organisation has warned of the serious threat that fungi pose to humans with a new report and list of priority fungal pathogens. In this episode of Microbe Talk, Charlotte takes a look inside the creeping threat of fungal infections with guests Prof Kevin Kavanagh and Prof Neil Gow.
In this episode of Microbe Talk, Charlotte talks to Dr Ian Brown about what makes this year’s bird flu outbreak bigger and more worrisome than before.
Music:
Maarten Schellekens – Sweet Dreams – Middle-East Remix (freemusicarchive.org)
In this episode of Microbe Talk Charlie talks to Dr Fiona Walsh about her team's research into how widespread plasmids carrying antimicrobial resistance genes are around the world, and what we can do about it.
Music:
Leatherbound by Blue Dot Sessions(www.sessions.blue)
In this episode of Microbe Talk, Charlie talks to Dr Jonathan Cox about his team's newly published research on a surprising use for Manuka honey.
Music:
Leatherbound by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)
In this episode Charlie and Charlotte talk to Professor Nicola Stonehouse, Professor in Molecular Virology at the University of Leeds, about why we're talking about polio again, and what we need to know about it.
Music: Mango Breeze - Allison & Vexento
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hzcHUK4WaA
Support by RFM - NCM: https://youtu.be/xMUOdsywWcs
In this episode, Charlie talks to Jonathon Woods, a PhD student from Northumbria University about his research into the impact of meat alternative foods on the gut microbiome.
True Blue Sky by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)
Listen to part two of our new episode of ‘Microbe Talk’, where we chat to some of our early career members about the cracks that exist in academia, and what needs to be done to safeguard the future of the microbiology research and innovation workforce.
In this episode of Microbe Talk, Katie and Eva from our Policy and Engagement team chatted with early career microbiologists Colman O’Cathail, Raphael Galleh, Natalie Ring McBrien and Helen Brown about how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their research and career progression.
Teaching and outreach in championing and advancing the understanding of microbiology is incredibly important. On this month's episode, I'm talking to Eliza Wolfson and Lizah van de Aart, two former microbiologists turned scientific illustrators and artists, about their work creating scientific art, and how scientific art can be used for scientific engagement.
https://ko-fi.com/intothemicroverse/
https://lizahvanderaart.com/
https://lizawolfson.co.uk/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lizah/resist-now-volume-1/description
On this month's MicrobeTalk, Matt takes a look back at Annual Conference; talking to delegates and staff of the Society about our first in-person conference since 2019.
In this episode of Microbe Talk, Charlie takes us on a behind the scenes tour of the Microbiology Society's Annual Conference preparations and talks to some staff members about this year's event.
In this episode of Microbe Talk, Charlie talks to Jose Aguiar-Cervera, a final year PhD student at the University of Manchester working at Singer Instruments. Listen to Charlie and Jose discuss his research into non-conventional yeasts in cider brewing, and how the future of the industry is being shaped by robots.
In this episode of Microbe Talk, Matt talks to Ryan Hames, a PhD student from the University of Leicester, UK. Listen to Matt and Ryan discuss his research into the circadian rhythm and how it affects the body’s immune response to invasive infection.
COVID-19 has put the subject of infections and pathogens firmly on the centre stage. But it can be difficult to know where to go to find information that is easy to understand and that you can trust. This week Matt talks to Dr Tregoning, author of ‘Infectious: pathogens and how we fight them’, a book that gives a fascinating overview of our ongoing fight against pathogens, uncovering success stories in immunology and virology, and providing some hope in these uncertain times.
In this month’s episode, Laura speaks with Emma Keeler, research assistant at the University of Pennsylvania’s Bushman Lab. Emma recently completed a research project investigating whether the fungi that live at the bottom of the ocean – specifically around hydrothermal vents – could be the source of new antimicrobial compounds.
Follow Emma on Twitter @emviricota and find out more about her research in this recent research article (https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiab103).
Visit the Unlocking Potential page to find out about our new fundraising appeal (https://microbiologysociety.org/membership/unlocking-potential-fund.html).
MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss some of the times microbes and microbiology have been in the news over the last month. Listen to Matt and Laura discussing how tube worms survive in the deep sea, why scientists are building a mangrove in the lab and the recent algal blooms of Lake Superior.
MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss some of the times microbes and microbiology have been in the news over the last month. Listen to Matt and Laura discussing the a designer handbag made of fungus, how algae can help restore eyesight and why scientists are infecting mosquitoes with bacteria.
It’s this season’s must-have Hermès bag. And it’s made from fungus
'Miraculous' mosquito hack cuts dengue by 77%
Glowing bacteria may one day protect people from land mines
Climate warming can influence fungal communities on oak leaves across the growing season
Algae proteins partially restore man's sight
Bacteria used to clean diesel-polluted soil in Greenland
In this episode of Microbe Talk, Laura speaks with Lillie Purser, PhD student at the University of Leicester. Lillie’s research explores how air pollution can affect the way bacteria behave, specifically strains of bacteria involved in the health condition chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Find out more about Lillie and her colleagues at the University of Leicester’s research and follow her on Twitter @lilliepurser:
Air pollution alters Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae biofilms, antibiotic tolerance and colonisation (doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.13686)
The role of air pollution and bacteria in COPD (doi: 10.1099/acmi.ac2020.po0231)
Find out more about how microbes have adapted to climate change and associated events in May’s issue of Microbiology Today Life on a Changing Planet. (https://microbiologysociety.org/publication/current-issue/life-on-a-changing-planet.html)
MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss some of the times microbes and microbiology have been in the news over the last month. Listen to Matt and Laura discussing the way antibiotics work, a positive story about sea star wasting disease and the importance of soil-dwelling protists.
In this episode of Microbe Talk, Laura and Professor Stephen Gordon from University College Dublin discuss tuberculosis research in both people and animals.
Find out more about Professor Gordon's research in the below articles:
Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Humanity's deadly microbial foe (doi: 10.1099/mic.0.000601)
Mycobacterium bovis genomics reveals transmission of infection between cattle and deer in Ireland (doi: 10.1099/mgen.0.000388)
Comparative 'omics analyses differentiate Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis and reveal distinct macrophage responses to infection with the human and bovine tubercle bacilli (doi:10.1099/mgen.0.000163)
Join Matt and Laura for this special episode of the podcast where they reflect on what took place during the Microbiology Society's Annual Conference Online 2021.
MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss some of the times microbes and microbiology have been in the news over the last month. Listen to Matt and Laura discuss how microbes helped centipedes evolve venom, a new automated technique that could help name new microbes and why deep-sea bacteria are completely invisible to our immune system.
www.livescience.com/deep-sea-bacteria-invisible-to-human-immune-system.html
www.the-scientist.com/notebook/researchers-propose-automating-the-naming-of-novel-microbes--68411
www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/microplastics-in-sewage-become-hubs-for-drug-resistant-bacteria-study/article34176654.ece
theconversation.com/diphtheria-could-become-a-problem-again-thanks-to-new-variants-and-antimicrobial-resistance-156973
en.brinkwire.com/science/centipedes-incorporated-the-toxic-weapons-of-bacteria-and-fungi-into-their-venoms/
www.washingtonpost.com/health/most-viruses-around-us-are-benign-some-are-even-lifesaving/2021/03/12/cd833cc0-76bc-11eb-948d-19472e683521_story.html
There is probably more misinformation about vaccines on the internet than any other topic. As we are the largest learned microbiological society in the UK, we decided to do something about it. We asked three experts some of the most commonly googled questions about vaccines. Check out the video on our YouTube channel to see some of the most searched vaccine questions answered: youtu.be/gIfOVlJDCpE
MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss some of the times microbes and microbiology have been in the news over the last month. Listen to Matt and Laura discussing the role of lizards in controlling Lyme disease, the fungus causing an amphibian apocalypse and how microbes could be used for green building materials.
MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss some of the times microbes and microbiology have been in the news over the last month. Listen to Matt and Laura discussing the microbes beetles use to hide their food, sea star wasting disease and the inherited microbiome of plants.
We know almost nothing about giant viruses: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/01/giant-viruses-can-change-their-hosts-dna/617555/
Some bacteria are suffocating sea stars, turning the animals to goo: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/bacteria-suffocating-sea-stars-wasting-disease-goo
Beetle parents manipulate information broadcast from bacteria in a rotting corpse: https://theconversation.com/beetle-parents-manipulate-information-broadcast-from-bacteria-in-a-rotting-corpse-151447
Brazilian ant farm yields new antifungal compound: https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2021/01/20/Brazilian-ant-farm-yields-new-antifungal-compound/1471611120400/?ur3=1
Seeds transfer their microbes to the next generation: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210121131652.htm
A Sustainable Future policy reports: https://microbiologysociety.org/news/society-news/a-sustainable-future-policy-reports-published-today.html
In the first episode of 2021, Matt talks to Sreyashi Basu who with her collaborator Sanjib Bhakta, was awarded the Outreach prize for their Joi Hok! initiative. The project uses traditional art forms and music to communicate knowledge of tuberculosis to school children in India.
To find out more about Joi Hok:
Joi Hok YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6UR4H9DuDeRzqRPEUZc2pA/featured
Joi Hok Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/joihokTBcampaign/
Joi Hok Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joi.hok/?hl=en
Sreyashi Basu Twitter - https://twitter.com/sreyashibasu2?lang=en
www.joihok.org/about/
In this episode of the podcast, Laura speaks with Dr Rod Dillon, Senior Lecturer at the University of Lancaster. Rod talks about his research into the protist parasite Leishmania, and how he has combined his microbiology expertise with art to communicate science in a different way.
Rod recently received a grant from the Microbiology Society this, together with an Arts Council England grant, was used to develop and produce The Endosymbiotic Love Calendar 2021.
The calendar is on sale now on the Endosymbiotic Love Calendar website. This project brings performance artists & microbiologists together through drag to embody a microorganism for every month of 2021 and links the vitally important world of microbiological research with feminist and queer perspectives to share biological knowledge in an innovative way. Prices include postage: £15 UK mainland (£12 concession price, no question asked), £19 Europe, £20 rest of the world. 50% of the price will be donated to The Outside Project the UK’s first LGBTIQ+ Crisis/Homeless Shelter and Community Centre.
MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss some of the times microbes and microbiology have been in the news over the last month. Listen to Matt and Laura discussing the microbes in your bed, the researchers using pig lungs to learn about cystic fibrosis and the antibiotic that could be used to treat Zika.
Bed dust microorganisms may boost children's health, study suggests
Understanding lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosis
Check out the research article in Microbiology and our video about the pig lung research model.
Commonly used antibiotic shows promise for combating Zika infections
COVID-19 vaccines: when will one be ready?
Potential treatment against antibiotic-resistant bacteria causing gonorrhoea and meningitis
Asteroid-munching microbes could mine materials from space rocks
MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss some of the times microbes and microbiology have been in the news over the last month. Listen to Matt and Laura discussing how microbiologists are tackling the amount of plastic waste used in laboratories, ash dieback and a COVID-19 story that Matt just couldn’t resist talking about.
This month's stories:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201016164320.htm
https://microbiologysociety.org/news/press-releases/does-science-have-a-plastic-problem-microbiologists-take-steps-to-reducing-plastic-waste.html
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/oct/14/tardigrades-latest-superpower-a-fluorescent-protective-shield
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-54373214
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/25/any-breed-could-do-it-dogs-might-be-covid-testers-best-friend
In this Microbiology Today episode of Microbe Talk, Laura revisits interviews with some of the Microbiology Society’s Fleming Prize winners. The Microbiology Society's Fleming Prize is awarded each year to an early career researcher who has achieved an outstanding research record within 12 years of being awarded their PhD. As part of our 75th Anniversary celebrations, the Microbiology Society planned the Fleming Showcase to celebrate the legacy of past Fleming Prize winners and to examine some of the most exciting science from around the globe.
Hear from some other Fleming Prize winners in October’s issue of Microbiology Today.
Watch the film with Professors Tracy Palmer, David Richardson and Peter Fineran: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imx26YF-R30&feature=emb_title
MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss microbiology in the news over the last month. As COVID-19 is taking over the news elsewhere, we decided to focus on other stories from the microbial world, including a surge in plankton in the Arctic, using fungus to produce handbags and the microbiology behind June's mass elephant die-off.
Flu jabs limited due to high demand: www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54273172
To find out more, check out the Flu Review episode: microbiologysociety.org/blog/microbe-…u-review.html of Microbe Talk.
A massive surge in phytoplankton has researchers pondering the future of the Arctic: www.nrdc.org/stories/massive-su…ring-future-arctic
Phages: the tiny viruses that could help beat superbugs: www.theguardian.com/global-developm…-beat-superbugs
Is there life floating in the clouds of Venus?: www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-54133538
That mushroom motorcycle jacket will never go out of style: www.nytimes.com/2020/09/16/scienc…email&login=email
Mystery elephant deaths caused by cyanobacteria: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-54234396
The COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed how we live and work. For scientists, this means that for the time being conferences have had to change. At the Microbiology Society, we recently held an online conference for early career microbiologists. In this month’s episode, Matt talks to Meaghan Castledine, a PhD student who spoke at the conference. They discuss how she got into microbiology, what it was like presenting at an online conference, and where her research is going next.
To find more about the Early Career Microbiologist’s Forum visit our website or LinkedIn page.
www.microbiologysociety.org/why-microbiology-matters/early-career-microbiologists-forum.html
www.linkedin.com/company/microbiology-society/
MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss microbiology in the news over the last month. As COVID-19 is taking over the news elsewhere, we decided to focus on other stories from the microbial world, including how insect wings are inspiring new ways to fight superbugs, an extreme fungus that could protect astronauts from deadly radiation and the huge plankton bloom off the UK coast that can be seen from space.
Acute oak decline - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8642473/Gangrene-like-disease-plaguing-English-oak-trees-caused-bacteria-beetles.html
Insect wings inspire new ways to fight superbugs - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200818103841.htm
Why doesn't Ebola cause disease in bats, as it does in people? - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200818142147.htm
Extreme Chernobyl fungus could protect astronauts from deadly radiation - https://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2020/07/extreme-chernobyl-fungus-could-protect-astronauts-from-deadly-radiation/
In space, bacteria is even more deadly and resilient to antibiotics - https://thenextweb.com/syndication/2020/08/09/in-space-bacteria-is-even-more-deadly-and-resilient-to-antibiotics/
Huge plankton bloom off UK coast visible from space - https://newseu.cgtn.com/news/2020-08-19/Huge-plankton-bloom-off-UK-coast-visible-from-space--T2oNj5LZLO/index.html
Last month, on 29 July, the Microbiology Society hosted a one day online workshop to support ongoing and future research around the pandemic. It was a fantastic event, headed by an organising committee of Professor Peter O’Hare, Professor Mark Harris, Professor Paul Kellam, Dr Steve Griffin and Dr Lindsay Broadbent. In this episode, Laura speaks with Lindsay, Steve and Peter about the day and how, going forward, we hope to continue to support the microbiology community in tackling the pandemic.
See our website for the the full programme of the event and check out the blog for what delegates were saying about the workshop on Twitter.
MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss microbiology in the news over the last month. As COVID-19 is taking over the news elsewhere, we decided to focus on other stories from the microbial world, including parasitic fungi with behaviour-changing effects, medieval medicines and the smell of sweat.
Return of the zombie cicadas: manipulative qualities of fungal-infected flyers: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200727145424.htm
Caterpillar fungus on brink of extinction: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/09/caterpillar-fungus-and-european-hamster-on-brink-of-extinction
Medieval medicine remedy could provide new treatment for modern day infections: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200728113545.htm
Turmeric could have antiviral properties: https://microbiologysociety.org/news/press-releases/turmeric-could-have-antiviral-properties.html
Deep sea microbes dormant for 100 million years are hungry and ready to multiply: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200728113533.htm
The biological mechanism behind body odour: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/gene-scientists-on-scent-of-an-end-to-body-odour-hcmszcrl8
On this month’s Microbe Talk, Matt talks to Dr Arwyn Edwards; an Arctic microbiologist based at Aberystwyth University. Dr Edwards recently published a paper in Microbial Genomics entitled ‘Microbial genomics amidst the Arctic crisis’. Dr Edwards and Matt discuss the paper, the challenges of working in the Arctic and how Arctic microbial research is changing
To read the article visit: www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/mgen/10.1099/mgen.0.000375
As part of our 'A Sustainable Future' policy project, the Microbiology Society's policy team have produced three special episodes of Microbe Talk to explore the role of microbiology to address some of the world’s biggest challenges. This episode, Eva speaks with Professor Alison Smith Head of the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge and Emilia Wojcik, PhD student at the University of Manchester to find out how their research contributes to moving towards a circular economy as part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss microbiology in the news over the last month. As COVID-19 is taking over the news elsewhere, we decided to focus on other stories from the microbial world, including the effect of e-cigarettes on the microbiome, the disease decimating bananas and an incredible discovery inside a fungus.
The National Centre for Type Cultures - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/08/science/bacteria-library-nctc.html?smtyp=cur∣=tw-nytimesscience
What if all viruses disappeared? - https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200617-what-if-all-viruses-disappeared?ocid=ww.social.link.twitter
Panama disease - https://www.bbc.com/future/bespoke/follow-the-food-test/the-pandemic-threatening-bananas.html
E-cigarettes and the microbiome - https://theconversation.com/e-cigarettes-found-to-cause-change-in-mouth-bacteria-which-could-lead-to-gum-disease-or-oral-cancer-140579
New bacteria found in fungus - http://astrobiology.com/2020/06/nasa-discovers-two-new-types-of-bacterial-life-inside-a-fungus-on-earth.html
The oral microbiome and heart disease - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200623100126.htm
As part of our 'A Sustainable Future' policy project, the Microbiology Society's policy team have produced three special episodes of Microbe Talk to explore the role of microbiology to address some of the world’s biggest challenges. This episode, Emily speaks with Professor Laura Piddock from the University of Birmingham, who is currently on secondment as the Director of Scientific Affairs, Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership. In the second half of the episode, Emily speaks with Dr Anne Leonard, research fellow at the University of Exeter. Listen to the episode to find out how research into antimicrobial resistance fits into the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss microbiology in the news over the last month. This episode, Laura and Matt discuss how microbiologists are working to improve the pneumococcus vaccine, the new species of fungus discovered through the power of social media and how microbes could be used to reduce coral bleaching.
Links to the news stories discussed during this episode can be found below:
Coral bleaching: scientists 'find way to make coral more heat-resistant': www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-austral…63C&at_campaign=64
Pollution affects underground microbial communities: phys.org/news/2020-05-human-d…ent-underground.html
How to improve the pneumococcus vaccine: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/…0519090310.htm
New species of fungus discovered through Twitter: www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/art…ed-TWITTER.html
Bumble bee disease, reproduction shaped by flowering strip plants: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/…0511154852.htm
Immunity to coronaviruses: what do we know so far?: microbiologysociety.org/news/press-re…w-so-far.html (Read the full review in the Journal of General Virology: www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jo…v.0.001439)
As part of our 'A Sustainable Future' policy project, the Microbiology Society's policy team have produced three special episodes of Microbe Talk to explore the role of microbiology to address some of the world’s biggest challenges. This episode, Hannah speaks with Dr Ellie Harrison, Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield and Luke Hillary, PhD student at Bangor University to find out about how their research into soil health contribute to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
Visit the 'A Sustainable Future' project webpage and find out more about how microbiology can be used to improve soil health.
As you may know, 2020 is the Microbiology Society’s 75th anniversary. In order to properly commemorate this, we wanted to do some suitably big celebrations. On this month’s Microbe Talk, Matt talks through one of the celebratory project, ‘Showcasing why Microbiology Matters’, with Dr Chloe James, Chair of the Communications Committee.
As COVID-19 is taking over the news elsewhere, we decided to focus on other stories from the microbial world, including developing a vaccine for malaria, breakthroughs in protist genomics and using bacteria to help plants grow in salty soil.
Links to the news stories discussed during this episode can be found below:
Research reveals a new malaria vaccine candidate: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/…0422132930.htm
Recently-discovered bacteria could be used as a biopesticide: phys.org/news/2020-04-bioinse…ented-bacterium.html
Scientists use bacteria to help plants grow in salty soil: www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/20…b-sub042320.php
Devloping genetic tools to understand protist DNA: www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/ne…pic-marine-life
The effect of urbanisation on infectious disease outbreaks: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/…0421112557.htm
How do Streptomyces attract insects?: www.newscientist.com/article/223985…invertebrates/
Laura speaks with Alice Fraser from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Alice is part of a research team looking for new antibiotics in unexpected places. Listen to the episode to find out about her research searching for antibiotic proteins in snake venoms and find out what Alice has found so far.
Music: Jason Shaw CC.BY 3.0
MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss microbiology in the news over the last month. As COVID-19 is taking over the news elsewhere, we decided to focus on other stories from the microbial world, including the microbiome of turtles, how bacteria are being used to clean groundwater and a new way to tackle Candida auris. Links to the news stories discussed during this episode can be found below:
Bacteria capable of breaking down hard-to-recycle plastics: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8157161/Polyurethane-eating-microbe-answer-plastic-pollution.html
Improving cleanup of contaminated groundwater: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200325212201.htm
Fighting cancer with fungi: https://www.genengnews.com/topics/bioprocessing/fighting-cancer-with-fungi/
Scientists find new compound that kills Candida auris: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200325154054.htm
What can be learned from the microbes on a turtle’s shell?: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200326144423.htm
Hantavirus – no need to worry: https://www.newsweek.com/hantavirus-death-china-coronavirus-outbreak-1494099
This month on Microbe Talk, Laura speaks with Haoxiang Wu, PhD student at Hong Kong Baptist University. In some tropical climates, mould growth is managed by near-constant use of dehumidifiers or air conditioners, which has a great environmental impact. Haoxiang’s research involves using fluid dynamics to control indoor mould growth in a sustainable way.
Read the following articles to find out more about Haoxiang’s research:
Environmental sustainability and mould hygiene in buildings, International Journal of Environmental and Public Health
Current challenges for shaping the sustainable and mould-free hygienic indoor environment in humid regions, Letters in Applied Microbiology
The role of oxidative stress in the growth of the indoor mould Cladosporium cladosporioides under water dynamics, Indoor air
You can get in touch with Haoxiang at kubeng@life.hkbu.edu.hk
MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss microbiology in the news over the last month. As well as discussing microbiology news stories, which include protecting coral reefs from climate change, new antibiotics and radiation-eating fungi; this month Laura and Matt give an update on the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
Links to the news stories discussed during this episode can be found below:
Scientists find huge bacteriophage: www.futurity.org/phages-microbiomes-2283062/
Invasive ants found to contain seasonal viruses: phys.org/news/2020-02-invasiv…easonal-viruses.html
Fungi that ‘eats’ radiation: www.express.co.uk/news/science/123…ar-reactor-fungi
Researchers decode how malaria parasite reproduces: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/…0211121500.htm
New group of antibiotics that fight bacteria in a unique way: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/…0212131523.htm
How do algal communities within corals help them tolerate stress?: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/…0212150129.htm
Coronavirus outbreak: Expert comment from our members: microbiologysociety.org/news/society-…-members.html
Protists are an extremely important part of many ecosystems, but people don't often consider their significance and the biodiversity they represent. In this episode of the podcast, Laura speaks with Professor Genoveva Esteban who is based at Bournemouth University, UK. Genoveva's research focuses on the biodiversity of aquatic systems in the UK, particularly at a microbial level.
MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss microbiology in the news over the last month. As well as discussing microbiology news stories, which include chronic wasting disease, 3D printing and ancient fungi; this month Matt and Laura give a timeline of Coronavirus.
Links to the news stories discussed during this episode can be found below:
World’s oldest fungi found in fossils on.natgeo.com/36LLh1W
University of Sheffield scientists develop 3D parts that can fight bacteria bit.ly/2OdrYbs
First CWD-positive wild deer found in Marathon County bit.ly/3b1rgYu
Bacteria might get autoimmune diseases too bit.ly/37LLLq7
Coronavirus outbreak: expert comment from our members bit.ly/2RMYd3H
For countries like Malaysia, Tanzania and the Philippines, seaweed agriculture is a major industry. However, these countries still see significant crop losses due to disease and pests. So what role does microbiology have in helping these countries’ growth in the industry?
On this month’s episode Matt visited London’s Natural History Museum to talk to Professor Juliet Brodie. Professor Brodie is a seaweed researcher working with GlobalSeaweedSTAR, a programme aiming to grow the research and innovation capabilities of developing countries engaged in seaweed farming.
To find out more about GlobalseaweedSTAR’s work, visit their website.
www.globalseaweed.org/
This is a special Microbiology Today edition of Microbe Talk. The latest issue of the Society’s magazine, Microbiology Today, focuses on natural products and drug discovery. In this podcast we talk with two researchers about their work to find new antimicrobial compounds that could be used to form new treatments: Lorena T. Fernández-Martínez from Edge Hill University about her research on actinomycetes and Aled Roberts from Swansea University Medical School about his work on manuka honey.
Find out more about natural products and drug discovery in the November issue of Microbiology Today: https://microbiologysociety.org/microbiologytoday
Anyone who’s been enjoying the sun on a nice summers evening knows the dreaded whine made by mosquitoes on the hunt for a meal. In recent years mosquitoes have been appearing in the news more and more due outbreaks of diseases such as dengue and zika. As if getting bitten by a mosquito wasn’t bad enough, if it is carrying the arbovirus, the saliva causing the annoying itchy bumps is actually helping the arbovirus infect you.
On this month’s episode, Matt talks to Daniella Lefteri, finalist of the 2019 Young Microbiologist of the Year. Daniella is researching the enhancing effect of this saliva and how it might be able to help in the growing arbovirus problem.
To find out more about Daniella and her research, read her interview with us on our blog: https://microbiologysociety.org/blog/meet-the-young-microbiologist-of-the-year-finalists-daniella-lefteri.html
MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss some of the times microbiology has been in the news during the past month. In this episode, Matt and Laura discuss the differences in microbial diversity in rural and urban areas, climate change and its effect on otters and a piece of new research investigating how an emerging virus might affect frogs.
Links to the news stories discussed during this episode can be found below:
Violet coral fungus seen in Wales https://bbc.in/35J9uWQ
Abundance of microbe diversity key to healthy coastal ecosystem https://bit.ly/2L37Nvl
Sea ice loss linked to spread of deadly virus https://bbc.in/2DrqggZ
Urban houses could have higher diversity of fungus than rural houses https://n.pr/2sr0dnR
‘Velcro’ style test could spot Alzheimer’s years before symptoms develop https://bit.ly/2rAaptA
New species of ranavirus threatens frogs https://bit.ly/2ORQrmf
Antibiotics price drop could reduce development of TB https://bit.ly/2qJRcG7
This month on Microbe Talk is the third episode of Domino Effect, the podcast series where a Microbiology Society member is interviewed by another microbiologist who they have never met before. In this episode, Sarah Jones, PhD student in geomicrobiology at Birkbeck and UCL, is interviewed by Dr John Tregoning, Reader in Respiratory Infections at Imperial College London.
In this episode, Laura and Matt discuss deadly fungi, the flu vaccine and how scientists are making carbon fibers out of algae.
Links to the news stories discussed during this episode can be found below:
Poison fire coral found in Australia: bit.ly/2Nogf8Q
Tsunamis linked to spread of deadly fungal disease: bbc.in/2oxacq0
Researchers turn algae into material as hard as steel: bit.ly/2r17EkX
Badger culls risk increased spread of bovine tuberculosis to cattle: bbc.in/2WAeN7t
Could green tea hold the solution to rising antimicrobial resistance? bit.ly/2PAKLPE
Flu vaccine offered to every primary school child in England: bit.ly/36oqQZV
In this month’s episode of the podcast, Laura speaks with two experts on the relationship with certain microbes and cancer: Professor Paul Farrell, of Imperial College London, and Dr Karen Robinson, from the University of Nottingham.
Paul Farrell: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/p.farrell
Karen Robinson: https://nddcbru.org.uk/team/dr-karen-robinson
Find out more about the relationship between Epstein-Barr Virus and Cancer in Paul’s review: https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-pathmechdis-012418-013023?journalCode=pathmechdis
Research in the Journal of Medical Microbiology investigated how the gut microbiota could be used to predict whether you are likely to develop cancer: https://doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.001049
This is a special Microbiology Today edition of the podcast. The latest issue of the Society’s magazine, Microbiology Today, focuses on arboviruses and their vectors. In this episode, we discuss some of the prevention strategies and ways of managing arboviruses and their vectors with John Carr from the University of Cambridge and Ewa Chrostek from the University of Liverpool.
MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss some of the times microbiology has been in the news that month. On this month’s episode Laura and Matt are discussing superdrug sniffer dogs, koalas and chlamydia and Valley Fever.
Links to the news stories discussed during this episode can be found below:
'Carnivorous' micro-organisms: www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/08/wo…bably-carnivore
HPV Vaccine: www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-49522669
Saving koalas at the University of Nottingham: www.thetimes.co.uk/article/british…oalas-n38q3f0br
Common cold stopped by experimental approach: www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-49682583
Climate change could increase spread of Valley fever: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/…0916114034.htm
Sniffing out superbugs: vancouversun.com/news/local-news/…/health-49522669
Zombie fungus ant:www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49615571
Canine parvovirus is a highly infectious virus that kills thousands of dogs every year. The disease emerged in the 1970s and spread unchecked, causing a global epidemic in 1978. While the epidemic was halted due to the development of a vaccine, outbreaks do still occur.
On this month’s Microbe Talk, Matt talks to Dr Colin Parrish, a veterinary virologist based at Cornell University in New York, USA. Along with the emergence of canine parvovirus, Colin discusses the problems it can cause and what his lab are doing to tackle the disease.
MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss some of the times microbiology has been in the news that month. On this month’s episode Laura and Matt are discussing glowing microbes, ancient microbes, microbes in elk and microbes in the brain.
Links to the news stories discussed in the episode can be found below:
www.inews.co.uk/news/health/river…resistance-genes/
www.nytimes.com/2019/07/25/us/bra…amoeba-death.html
www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/s…ever-worldwide/
www.ktvz.com/news/oregon-hunter…s-jan-1/1107313914
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-49262255
www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/ref…an-glowing/
This month on the podcast, we spoke with Dr Mayri Alessandra Diaz De Rienzo, Ale for short, who is lecturer in Biotechnology at Liverpool John Moores University, UK. Ale is currently in Quebec, Canada, visiting the lab of Professor Eric Déziel on a Microbiology Society Research Visit Grant. Ale has travelled to Canada to research how biosurfactants can work with antibiotics to make infections easier to treat, and how they might be able to improve the lifespan of antibiotics.
Find out more about Microbiology Society grants: https://microbiologysociety.org/education-outreach/grants-prizes.html
Present your PhD research at the Fleming showcase: https://gate.sc/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmicrobiologysociety.org%2Fevent%2Fannual-conference%2Fannual-conference-2020.html%23tab-2&token=8eaa3f-1-1565346710498
This is the first episode of MicroNews, where we discuss the times microbiology, and microbiologists, have been on tv, in the papers and trending online.
This month, Laura and Matt talk about the HPV vaccine, fungal diseases and antimicrobial resistance. We also hear from Professor Sally Bloomfield who talks about the link between allergies and hygiene.
Links to the news stories discussed in the episode can be found at:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-48881008
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7219621/A-new-swathe-vital-antifungal-drugs-stopped-working.html
https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/fungus-behind-deadly-bat-disease-found-in-northern-california-66111
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-06/ncsu-srt061319.php
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/antibiotic-resistance-superbug-bacteria-pharma-infection-a8996941.html
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jun/25/too-much-cleanliness-not-bad-for-health-report-on-hygiene-says
For information on the International Meeting on Arboviruses and their Vectors (IMAV19), go to microbiologysociety.org/IMAV19
Over the last decade or so, the area of microbiome research has exploded, and scientists are just starting to realise just how important the gut microbiome is for our health. However, despite the increased interest in gut microbiome research, the vast majority of studies concern bacteria, and microorganisms like yeasts are conspicuous by their absence in the literature.
This month on Microbe Talk is the second episode of Domino Effect, the podcast series where a Microbiology Society member is interviewed by another microbiologist who they have never met before. In this episode, Dr Lena Ciric, senior lecturer at the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering at UCL is interviewed by Sarah Jones, PhD student studying Geomicrobiology at Birkbeck and UCL.
Follow Lena on Twitter: @drlenaciric
Follow Sarah on Twitter: @Sarah_Jokes
Sometimes the big picture can be too big. Microbes are everywhere, and sometimes looking at the small things can answer questions you weren’t expecting to ask.
Arjan Kortholt is Associate Professor at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Arjan’s original work was studying chemotaxis; the movement of cells up or down substance concentration gradients, for example when white blood cells are chasing pathogens. However, whilst studying the proteins involved in chemotaxis, he found they are related to Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s has traditionally been studied by medical doctors, but now Arjan is studying the disease from a new, microbiological angle; using techniques and tools from microbiology to help find a cure.
Some highlights from this year's Microbiology Society Annual Conference, held in Belfast.
On this month’s podcast, we discuss the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans with Dr Liz Ballou from the University of Birmingham
In January 2019, news broke that two patients at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow had tragically passed away. When tested, both patients showed signs of a fungal infection caused by Cryptococcus neoformans. One of the patients’ deaths was unrelated to the infection, however it was a contributing factor to the death of the second patient.
This month we talked to fungal geneticist Dr Ballou; she researches how human fungal pathogens, specifically C. neoformans, survive and cause disease in the host. We discussed C. neoformans research, the lifecycle of the fungus, and the disease it can cause.
In 2018, influenza made headlines, with the 2017/18 flu season heralded on of the 'worst ever' for the National Health Service with the highest number of influenza-related hospital admissions since 2010. This flu season has been markedly different. But why is there so much variation?
This month, we spoke with Dr John McCauley, Director of the World Health Organization's Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, at the Francis Crick Institute, and Dr Othmar Engelhardt, Principal Scientist in the Division of Virology at the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control. In this episode, we discuss how different subtypes and strains of influenza can have different effects in the population, and how microbiologists are working on preparing vaccines for the upcoming flu season.
For more information about influenza, why not read our blog Déjà flu: can science help the NHS cope with the annual burden of respiratory infections? from the Hot Topic lecture at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2018: https://microbiologysociety.org/blog/d-j-flu-can-science-help-the-nhs-cope-with-the-annual-burden-of-respiratory-infections.html
This is our first episode of a new series called 'Domino Effect'. In this episode, Lena (@drlenaciric) interviews Paul (@PaulHoskisson) about his research history, his hobbies and the importance of science communication. Next time it will be Lena's turn in the hot seat!
If you would like to get involved in a future episode of Domino Effect, e-mail l.cox@microbiologysociety.org
To book a place at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2019: microbiologysociety.org/event/annual-…nference.html
The panic that sets in just before taking the stand at a conference is all too common. Wouldn’t it be great if there was some way to get presenting experience in a relaxed, friendly environment?
The Junior Awards for Microbiology (JAM Talks) are the monthly seminar series based in Birmingham that allows early career researchers to gain experience presenting to an audience of their peers.
This month, we talked to Alice Lanne and Anja Djokic - both part of the JAM Talks Organising Committee - to discuss their involvement in the talks and their views on the importance of presenting experience for early career researchers.
More Information
www.thejamtalks.com
www.twitter.com/jam_talks
thejamtalks@gmail.com
www.microbepost.org/2018/11/21/junior-awards-in-microbiology
Why Microbiology Matters
To celebrate our 75th anniversary in 2020, we’re inviting members to nominate the discovery or event that best showcases why microbiology matters and helps us demonstrate the impact of microbiologists past, present and future.
To make your submission, click on the link below
www.microbiologysociety.org/WhyMicroMatters
This month, we spoke with Dr Alexandre de Menezes, soil microbiologist. Last year, Dr de Menezes went to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone to see how the nuclear disaster is impacting the microbes in the soil, over 30 years later. We will cover what the soil microbiome is, why is it important and how microbes are affected by radiation
This month, we've caught up with microbiologist Ruth MacLaren, owner and founder of Sciencedipity.
This May, Ruth was at the Eden Project running a number of activities as part of their launch week for their new exhibit Invisible Worlds.
To find out more about the Invisible Worlds exhibit: https://microbepost.org/2018/06/20/invisible-worlds-at-the-eden-project/
To find out more about The Microbiology Society's engagement and outreach grants, see: https://microbiologysociety.org/education-outreach/get-involved.html
Malawi, in Sub-Saharan Africa, has the highest incidence and mortality of cervical cancer in the world. Nearly all cases of cervical cancer are caused by human papillomavirus, or HPV.
Earlier this year, the Microbiology Society funded one of our members, Dr Ramya Bhatia, to travel to Malawi as part of a research collaboration between Nkhoma Hospital and the University of Edinburgh.
In this podcast, Ramya talks to us about her time in Malawi, and Nkhoma's highly successful cervical cancer screening programme.
Image credit: Derek Brumby/Thinkstock
This month, we’re bringing you a real highlight from our Annual Conference in Edinburgh: a live discussion about the state of microbiome research.
A panel of experts gave their views on whether microbiome research is an opportunity, or whether it’s been over-hyped.
It was a really lively event with a great audience, and it was chaired by our very own Dr Benjamin Thompson.
Panelists:
Prof Julian Marchesi, Imperial College London
Prof Jim Prosser, University of Aberdeen
Dr Lindsay Hall, University of East Anglia
Dr Thorunn Helgason, University of York
Have you ever wondered about the kinds of microbes that are present in your kitchen? In the fruit bowl or the fridge, on your chopping boards or cleaning cloths?
Good Germs Bad Germs is a citizen science project from the University of Oxford, allowing people to experiment on the microbial life in their kitchens and to visualise the results.
This month, we went to Oxford to visit one of the households taking part in the project, and spoke to researchers Dr Jamie Larimer and Dr Beth Greenhough about they've found.
More information at www.goodgerms.org
Images courtesy of the researchers
In 2008, researchers from Google announced that they could predict outbreaks of the flu up to two weeks before the US authorities, by monitoring people's Google search behaviour.
The algorithm tracked searches for flu symptoms and remedies, which would increase in the build-up to an outbreak. Flu is a serious disease that can cause up to half a million deaths each year – so Google flu trends caused a lot of excitement in the field when it emerged.
But for all the hype, it didn't actually work. In the end, Google flu trends failed pretty badly. So what went wrong?
This month, we speak to public health experts and computer scientists to find out, and learn how the field of 'Digital Epidemiology' has moved on to successfully track disease outbreaks online.
We hear from Professor Guy Poppy and Dr Sian Thomas from the Food Standards Agency in the UK about a tool to track norovirus using tweets, and all the #vomit that entails.
And we speak to Professor Alessandro Vespignani from Northeastern University in the US about how Twitter can help to build virtual synthetic worlds where researchers can model the spread of flu.
Music: Anonymous420, Lee Rosevere and Candlegravity
SFX: fattirewhitey and kinoton on freesound.org
Image: artlensfoto on thinkstock
Air pollution is a big problem. It's our single largest environmental health risk, and causes an eighth of all global deaths worldwide.
We know that air pollution increases respiratory diseases and the risk of infections like pneumonia. But now, new research suggests air pollution may alter the properties of bacteria themselves, in some potentially worrying ways.
This month, we spoke to Dr Julie Morrissey from the University of Leicester about the study, and what it means for our health.
Image credit: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources / Flickr
Earlier this month, the Microbiology Society hosted our Annual Conference 2017 in Edinburgh. While we were there, we managed to catch up with just a few of the researchers presenting posters and giving talks.
First up, we spoke to Kirsty Fraser from Heriot-Watt University about a weird protist pathogen wreaking havoc on golf courses.
Next, Dr Terry McGenity from the University of Essex told us about microbes that can survive for millennia trapped inside salt crystals.
Finally, we spoke with Saskia Rughöft from the Molecular Microbial Ecology Group at the University of Tubingen. Saskia is researching the impact of oil spills and cleanup chemicals on microbes in the ocean.
Music: In the Dust by Alex Fitch
In 1901, Captain Robert Falcon Scott led a team of men on the Discovery Expedition to explore the mysteries of Antarctica.
The expedition is famous for its scientific legacy, including the discovery of snow-free valleys, emperor penguin colonies and the location of the South Magnetic Pole.
But the team also brought back some mysterious life forms living at the bottom of a lake. It took nearly 60 years for scientists to work out what they really were: cyanobacteria.
Dr Anne Jungblut is a microbiologist studying cyanobacteria today at the Natural History Museum. In this episode, we visit the museum to learn more about these microbes, and see the very samples that Scott’s team brought back over 100 years ago….
Music: Alex Fitch
Image: Scott's Expedition Leaving for Antarctica - 1901, Archives New Zealand
Everyone knows the story of the Trojan horse.
The Greeks, in a war against the Trojans, hid some soldiers inside a giant wooden horse and left it outside the city of Troy. Thinking that they’d won, the Trojans dragged the horse inside the city walls. Later that night, the Greek soldiers crept out and sacked Troy from the inside, winning the war.
Our story this month is also set in ancient Troy, and has a few things in common with this mythical tale. There’s no great battle, but there is death. And instead of soldiers hiding inside a wooden horse, it involves some unexpected microbes hiding inside the chest of a woman who died 800 years ago.
We spoke to Caitlin Pepperell from the University of Wisconsin–Madison about her research into this woman’s story, and the remarkable molecular portrait of her life and death that scientists were able to piece together.
Music: Chris Zabriskie
Image: summerbl4ck
What’s it like to travel right down to the bottom of the ocean?
Deep sea microbiologist Julie Huber should know. Her group, at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts, USA, is trying to uncover more about the microbes living in the deepest darkest depths of the ocean. But that’s not all – there are even microbes living thousands of metres beneath the ocean floor itself, within the rocks and sediment.
This is an environment that couldn’t be more different to our world on land – no light, huge pressures, underwater volcanoes and hardly any nutrients. So what kind of microbes do we see living there, and how do they manage to make a living?
Image credit: NOAA Submarine Ring of Fire 2006
Music: Sacred Motion by staRpauSe
What gives beer its taste? Why do some ales taste of berries, bananas or chocolate?
A big part of the answer is the type of yeast used to ferment it. There are hundreds of different strains that brewers can use to make beer, and many of them can be found at the National Collection of Yeast Cultures in Norwich.
We went for a pint with scientists from the NCYC to find out how different yeasts affect the taste of ales, and learn about their research to find strains that can produce new and better beers.
Music: Live Action Fez – Carol of the Bells
When pathogenic viruses pass from their animal reservoir into humans – known as ‘spillover events’ – the consequences can be severe. For example, it is thought that the West African Ebola outbreak began with an 18-month-old child in Guinea contracting the virus from a wild animal.
To prevent future disease epidemics, we need a better understanding of the nature of spillover events, and the viruses involved in them. In this month’s podcast, we spoke to Professor Jonna Mazet, Director of the One Health Institute at the University of California, Davis. Jonna is also the Global Director of PREDICT, an ambitious project that is trying to identify any pathogens that might pose a threat to human health, and working to build capacity in areas of the world that are at risk of disease emergence.
Image credit: UCDavis
Music: Velella Velella - That's a terrible name for a song
The National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) building in Boston is a high-tech facility for the study of emerging, and re-emerging, microbial diseases of humans and animals. The building, part of Boston University, is equipped up to Biosafety level 4 (BSL-4), allowing the researchers there to safely study dangerous viruses like Ebola or Nipah.
In this episode, we got special access to the facility to have a look round, guided by Professor Paul Duprex, a Microbiology Society member and an Editor of our Journal of General Virology.
On the tour we got to meet the NEIDL’s Director, Professor Ron Corley, who told us about the building’s architecture and function, and talked with Dr Nahid Bhadelia who runs the facility’s back-up medical programme.
Music: Ryan Cross – Out
Image credit: Tim Llewellyn for Boston University Photography
The threat of antibiotic resistance is large and looming. Drugs that once worked miracles are now failing to work at all as bacteria become resistant to them.
This could mean a future where a simple operation, a minor infection, or even a scratch could kill.
In this month's podcast, we bring you a recording from a panel event at New Scientist Live. The discussion is fantastic primer on the issue of antibacterial resistance, why it’s so important that we act now, and what we can all do to prevent it.
Panellists:
Laura Bowater – senior lecturer at Norwich Medical School
Caroline Barker – clinician at University of East Anglia
Anthony McDonnell – head of economic research for the Prime Minister’s Review on Antimicrobial Resistance
Tamar Ghosh – lead on the Longitude Prize to solve antibiotic resistance
The event was organised by the Microbiology Society and the Biochemical Society.
"Every one of us is a zoo in our own right – a colony enclosed within a single body. A multi-species collective. An entire world."
In this episode, we chat to science writer Ed Yong about his upcoming book and The New York Times Bestseller, 'I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life'.
It's a book about the trillions of microbes that live on us and within us; microbes that build our bodies and organs, protect us from disease, shape our behaviour and drive the processes for life on earth.
Every year, hundreds of millions of patients across the world are affected by Healthcare-associated Infections, according to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO). These infections can result from a surgery, or from the use of a medical device like a catheter, for example, and cause significant mortality and economic losses.
One of the things that hospital staff can do to prevent these infections is effective handwashing. In this podcast we spoke to Professor Didier Pittet, who has been leading a WHO campaign to promote the use of alcohol-based hand sanitiser in hospitals and clinics across the globe.
Image credit: Bananastock/Thinkstock
Fungal diseases cause an estimated 1.5 million deaths each year – more than malaria. Despite this, fungi are often overlooked compared to other pathogens like bacteria and viruses.
In this extra edition of the podcast, we sent Anand Jagatia along to the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition to find out more about the dangers of killer fungi, and the world's biggest Petri dish...
On 6 July, the spacecraft Soyuz MS-01 is scheduled to blast-off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, headed for the International Space Station (ISS). On board, will be Dr Kate Rubins, who, along with Anatoli Ivanishin and Takuya Onishi, will be part of the 48th expedition to the ISS, due to return in November this year.
Before training with NASA, Kate worked as a microbiologist, most recently at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, where she worked on emerging viruses such as the Ebola and Lassa viruses.
For this month's podcast, we caught up with Kate as she prepared for her mission, and chatted about the experiments she'll be undertaking in space, what it's like to train to be an astronaut, and whether a pipette works in microgravity...
Image credit: NASA, public domain
Music:
Podington Bear – Bountiful
Alex Fitch – Ronny
Dengue is one of the world's most devastating infectious diseases.
Around half of the entire planet's population is at risk from dengue infection, which can lead to excruciating joint pain, haemorrhaging and, eventually, death.
There is no vaccine for dengue, so current efforts to stop its spread involve trying to control the mosquito that transmits it, Aedes aegypti. But this is by no means easy – Aedes aeygpti is notoriously resilient and extremely well adapted to urban environments.
Which is why scientists in Australia are currently testing a new method of preventing dengue that could be revolutionary – using a strange group of bacteria called Wolbachia.
We spoke to Professor Scott O'Neill, leader of the Eliminate Dengue programme, to find out more.
Music: Karl Yates (Precog18 on SoundCloud)
Image credit: Penn State
In 2010, a medical case report was published about a man with inflammatory bowel disease. The man had a serious case of a condition called ulcerative colitis, and was facing the prospect of having a section of his intestine completely removed.
But remarkably, the man was able to cure himself and achieve almost complete remission – by infecting himself with parasitic worms.
This month's episode is about new research which may shed light on how a parasite can end up curing disease, rather than causing it.
Music:
Ryan Cross – Inso
Keinzweiter – Mircoobee
Asthmatic Astronaut – Body Language
Jahazzar – sketch (vlad)
Asthmatic Astronaut – UP
This week has seen the Society decamp to Liverpool for our Annual Conference 2016. It’s been a fantastic event with over 1,400 delegates in attendance and more than 300 scientific presentations and posters.
For this month’s edition of Microbe Talk, Anand and I got to speak to a few researchers about the work they were presenting at the Conference.
Up first is Dr Lucy Gilbert from the James Hutton Institute, who told Anand about her work investigating how climate change will affect tick distribution and disease risk.
Next up is an excerpt from an on-stage interview I did with Professor Philippe Sansonetti, this year’s Prize Medal winner. Philippe has had a long and distinguished career, and has published hundreds of research papers. I asked him to describe a key experiment that stood out to him throughout his work.
Finally in this month’s edition of the podcast, I spoke with Professor George Weinstock, one of the first researchers to use genomic sequencing to better understand microbial processes. We talked about the early days of modern DNA technology, and the direction that current microbiome research is taking.
In the modern world, the spread of diseases like MERS, SARS, avian flu, Ebola, and Zika virus seems almost unavoidable.
But to stop outbreaks spiralling out of control into global disasters, researchers, doctors and public health professionals need to know what’s happening and where in real time.
That’s where ProMED comes in. PROMED is an online early warning system for emerging diseases that can be used by anyone in the world.
People in the field report on disease outbreaks that are happening close to them, so that information about new threats can be rapidly disseminated online, and people at all levels can start to take the steps that could ultimately save lives.
Ben spoke to the editor of ProMed, Dr Larry Madoff, about how the system is used, why disease outbreaks seem to be happening more frequently, and what we can do to stop them.
Music:
VYVCH – On And On
Little Glass Men – Kelp Grooves
It’s a well-known fact that the number of bacteria in, and on, a person outnumber the actual human cells present by 10:1, right? While this ratio often appears on presentation slides across the world, is it actually true? In this month’s podcast, Anand spoke to Professor Ron Milo from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, who has recently co-authored a Cell paper that is examining this well-used estimate to see if it holds up…
Image credit: Antti-pekka Lehtinen/Thinkstock
Music credit: The Bread Is Hard As Crackers by Velella Velella and Springtime by Podington Bear, both under a CC BY-NC 3.0 license
Nature is full of patterns that follow fundamental mathematical rules – from nautilus shells to spiral galaxies, lightning bolts to blood vessels.
In the first podcast of 2016, Anand spoke to Prof Raymond Goldstein from the University of Cambridge about the mathematical principles that describe both bacteria and electrons.
Raymond is an author on a recent paper in Nature Physics, which explores the patterns of swimming in bacteria, and how they might be related to the spin of electrons in magnetic materials.
Music:
Chris Zabriskie - I am running down the long hallway of Viewmont Elementary
Poddington Bear - Bright White
The Fish Who Saved The Planet - Marimbo
Little Glass Men - Biolumina
Lee Rosevere - Illuminations
Ropewalk - Worm and Parcel with the Lay
Little Glass Men - Play Pelagic (imported)
Image credit: Courtesy of the researchers
In a festive edition of our podcast, we hear from Dr Arnoud van Vliet from the Institute of Food Research.
Arnoud tells us about his group's research into food borne pathogens like campylobacter, and gives us his top tips for avoiding food poisoning this Christmas.
Image credit: circlePS/iStock/Thinkstock
Music: DKSTR - Have Yourself a Merry Funky Christmas
How could you convert the dust, leaves and cigarettes that litter the side of the road into something useful and valuable?
In this month's podcast, we spoke to Dr Angela Murray from the University of Birmingham about using microbes to turn waste into high-end products.
We hear about a patented technology to convert road dust into precious metal catalysts, and how cleaning up heavy metal pollution can be used to make powerful crystals called quantum dots (pictured).
Image credit: Antipoff on Wikimedia under CC BY-SA 3.0
Music: Kosmiche Slop by Anenon, Day Bird by Broke For Free, Mells by Broke for Free, Lights - And Counting by Action Davis
Sound Effects: Traffic by malupeeters, Car Engine by Pogotron, purr Tims by aivaaroo
Baleen whales are some of the largest creatures on Earth, but they feed on some of the smallest – tiny ocean-dwelling crustaceans called krill and copepods.
Smaller still are the microscopic organisms that help the whales to digest this vast quantity of prey.
The diversity and function of the gut microbes living inside baleen whales has never been studied before. But new research has begun to shed light on these bacterial communities, and their role in shaping the natural history of their leviathan hosts.
We spoke to Annabel Beichman (UCLA) and Jon Sanders (Harvard University) about the surprising discovery they made when they looked inside the whale.
Image credit: Christopher Michel on Flickr under CC BY 2.0
This month’s podcast is all about microbes in remote and hostile environments.
Ben spoke to Dr Lewis Dartnell, an astrobiologist from the University of Leicester, about NASA’s recent announcement that there is liquid water on Mars. Lewis told us more about the discovery, and how microbes might be able to survive in this extremely salty Martian environment.
We also hear from Dr Kevin Newsham of the British Antarctic Survey. Kevin spoke to us about his expeditions to the maritime Antarctic, and the impact of climate change on soil fungi and the ecosystems found there.
Image credit: Kevin Gill on Flickr under CC BY SA 2.0
This summer, many people living in Lancashire were forced to boil their drinking and cooking water, after an outbreak of a parasite that can cause a nasty bout of stomach cramps and diarrhoea. This outbreak was caused by the protozoan Cryptosporidium, a water-borne parasite that can cause a potentially life-threatening infection in the very young or the immunocompromised.
To learn more about Cryptosporidium we spoke to Christopher Miller, a PhD student at the University of Kent, who is looking at ways to better culture this poorly-understood parasite.
Image credit: Steve Johnson on Flickr under CC BY 2.0
In this month's podcast: Ebola vaccines for chimpanzees and engineering the built environment to prevent the spread of infections.
First up, Anand visited the labs of the Healthy Infrastructure Research Group at UCL. Dr Lena Ciric and her team told us about the spread of tuberculosis in offices, toxic black mould and light-activated antimicrobial surfaces. Lena also showed us around the group's walk-in environmental chamber, which they use for safely releasing pathogenic microbes.
And we hear from Dr Peter Walsh of the University of Cambridge, who is currently leading efforts to vaccinate chimps and gorillas against Ebola. As many as a third of the planet's wild populations may have been wiped out by the virus, which affects great apes in a similar way to humans. Peter told us more about his work, and the first ever trial to develop an oral vaccine for chimpanzees.
Image credit: Indo_girl2010 on Flickr under CC BY 2.0
Where do antibiotics end up after we've used them? The answer is almost everywhere – in our soils and crops, in our rivers and in our drinking water.
Is this something we should be concerned about? And is it driving the evolution of resistance?
In this Microbe Talk Extra, we spoke to Dr Will Gaze from the University of Exeter Medical School about antimicrobial resistance in the environment, and his lab's research on water treatment plants, coastal waters, and surfers' bums.
Could the mud and soil a person walks through be used to identify where they've been? In part two of our forensic microbiology special, we look at the ways that soil from crime scenes can help pinpoint the whereabouts of people and objects in police investigations.
We spoke to Professor Lorna Dawson from the James Hutton Institute about her work on criminal cases, and how microbiology is being used to enhance the field of soil forensics.
Image credit: Alan Cleaver on Flickr under CC BY 2.0
Music:
'Submerging Blue-Black' by Podington Bear, under CC BY-NC 3.0
'I Am Running Down the Long Hallway of Viewmont Elementary' by Chris Zabriskie, under CC BY 4.0
'Trio for Piano Violin and Viola' by Kevin MacLeod, under CC BY 3.0
'Lips' by Plurabelle under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
Sound Effects: From freesound.org.
'Walking1_gravel' by tec studios, under CC0 1.0
'CarStartAndDriveOff' by jmdh, under CC0 1.0
'BikeBellWhileRiding' byqubodup, under CC BY 3.0
'Woodland Birdsong June' by justkiddink, under CC BY 3.0
For this Microbe Talk Extra, we went to the Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition to meet the Flu Fighters – scientists working on new ways to fight and diagnose influenza.
Dr Holly Shelton works at The Pirbright Institute on the genetics of the flu virus. She talked to us about how different strains of flu infect different species, from bats to birds to humans.
We also hear about new devices which allow farmers to test their poultry for bird flu – and get instant results.
No animals were harmed in the making of this episode, but a robot chicken was rather disgruntled.
This month’s episode of Microbe Talk is something a bit different – the first in a two-part special on forensic microbiology.
In part one, we’re exploring the microbes of death and decay – and how they can be used by forensic scientists to work out when and how someone has died.
We spoke to writer Mo Costandi about his recent experiences visiting body farms in Texas, where scientists study the process of decomposition. Mo wrote an article for the Wellcome Trust’s Mosaic on the subject (which is well worth reading), so we asked him to the Society’s offices to find out more about what happens to our bodies after we die.
We also hear from forensic scientist Dr Gulnaz Javan, who is conducting research into the “thanatomicrobiome”, or microbes of death, at one of these facilities. Gulnaz and her team take samples from cadavers and the surrounding soil in order to study the microbial communities present at different stages of decomposition. She talked to us about a recent paper from her group that discusses their early findings.
This episode contains descriptions of decomposing human corpses.
Image credit: Mo Costandi
Music: Chris Zabriskie under CC BY 4.0
Sound effects: “BunchOfFlies” by HerbertBoland under CC BY 3.0, “Countryside in Texas, insects and birds” by felix.blume under CC0 1.0
Private Ernest Cable was a WW1 soldier who died on 13 March 1915 and his body now lies in a communal cemetery in Wimereux, France.
Records suggest that Cable was the first British soldier in WW1 to die from dysentery - an intestinal diarrhoeal infection, caused by Shigella flexneri bacteria. Today, a sample of the very Shigella which infected and killed Cable can be found at the National Collection of Type Cultures (NCTC), where it is helping researchers to understand the evolution of drug resistance.
The NCTC is part of Public Health England's Culture Collections, which includes thousands of strains of bacteria, viruses and fungi. We spoke to Julie Russell, Head of Culture Collections, about some of the more unusual historical strains housed there, and the role that they continue to play in the fight against disease.
Image: Wimereux Communal Cemetery
Image credit: Wernervc on Wikimedia Commons under CC-BY-SA-3.0
We’ve been out and about this month, interviewing researchers in Glasgow, Manchester and Galway for the podcast. Up first, Ben travelled to Scotland to chat with Dr Adam Kucharski from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Adam is an expert in disease modelling, and he told us how his work is helping in the fight against the ongoing Ebola outbreak.
Books and films are full of end-of-the-world microbiological fiction, but can they be used to help engage the public with the fundamentals of disease research? Anand went to Manchester to speak with Professor Jo Verran, founder of the Bad Bugs Book Club.
A few weeks ago, Ben attended the Society’s Irish Division Meeting in Galway. There were lots of great talks, and he got a chance to grab a few minutes with Professors Kim Lewis and Martin Cormican. Kim is Director of the Antimicrobial Discovery Center at Northeastern University, Boston, USA, while Martin is Professor of Bacteriology and a Consultant Microbiologist at NUI Galway. Both are interested in antibiotic resistance, but are coming at it from different angles…
Image credit: Phalinn Ooi under CC BY 2.0
Last month, the Society held its Annual Conference, which was held in Birmingham this year. It was a great event: over a thousand delegates attended, presenting hundreds of talks and posters. We spoke to some of the attendees about their work for this month’s podcast.
Firstly, we chatted with Dr Jennifer Gardy from the BC Centre for Disease Control in Canada, who told us about her role in the Society’s new journal Microbial Genomics and about the field of genomics in general.
Next up was Professor David Minnikin from the University of Birmingham, who is researching the origins of tuberculosis, which appears to have begun as an infection of ancient animals in the Pleistocene era.
Dr Nick Loman, also from the University of Birmingham, who told us about his work using a seriously tiny DNA sequencing machine.
Finally, Karl Dunne from, you guessed it, the University of Birmingham, talked about his PhD research, which has seen him sequence the first sample of E. coli bacteria, isolated by Theodor Escherich.
Image credit: Bob Hall on Flickr under CC BY-SA 2.0
In 1677, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek had a letter published in the Royal Society's journal 'Philosophical Transactions', which was the first paper to describe microbes, opening up the world of microbiology we know today. This year is the 350th anniversary of 'Philosophical Transactions', so the Royal Society commissioned a special issue containing commentaries about some of the most important papers to appear in the journal. I spoke to Dr Nick Lane, from University College London, who’s written about Leeuwenhoek’s letter and its importance.
Speaking of Royal Society journals, I also spoke to Dr Paul Parham from the University of Liverpool in this podcast. Paul has recently co-edited a themed edition of the ‘Philosophical Transactions B’, which concentrates on the effect that climate change is having on vector-borne diseases, such as those transmitted by mosquitoes or ticks. I asked Paul about how changes in climate are altering the behaviour and habit of these vectors, and what this might mean for diseases.
Image credit: Wellcome Images (cropped) under CC BY 4.0
Imagine waking up tomorrow morning to find out that every bacterium and every archeon on the planet had suddenly vanished. What would happen? Could humanity survive? This month, Ben spoke to Dr Jack Gilbert and Dr Josh Neufeld, who have published a thought experiment in PLOS Biology that wonders exactly that...
Image credit: Thinkstock
In a special, end-of-the-year podcast, Ben went to do some outside recording at the Wix School in Clapham, London, where he learnt about 'Native Scientist' an outreach project that goes into schools to give children a chance to learn about science research in their native language. The project was co-founded by Dr Joana Moscoso, the Society for General Microbiology's Outreach Prize winner. We spoke to her about the project, and asked a teacher at Wix what he thought the benefits of the project are.