This episode: Human-based food used as bait by hunters can reduce bears' gut microbe diversity! Download Episode (5.9 MB, 8.6 minutes)  Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Actinomadura verrucosospora News item Takeaways    Gut microbes are important for the health of most animals. In humans, many things can affect our gut microbe community, including diet, medications, and lifestyle. Eating a varied diet with diverse kinds of plant-based foods can maintain a healthy, functional community of many different kinds of microbe. However, eating mostly highly processed grain-based foods can reduce the diversity and functionality of the gut community.  This is also true in bears. In this study, when bears consumed more processed, grain-based human foods via hunters leaving such foods out as bait, the gut communities in these bears had reduced diversity of microbes. The effects of this reduced diversity were not determined, but it is reasonable to assume it was not good for the bears’ overall health.   Journal Paper: Gillman SJ, McKenney EA, Lafferty DJR. 2022. Human-provisioned foods reduce gut microbiome diversity in American black bears (Ursus americanus). J Mammal 103:339–346.   Other interesting stories:  3D-printed electrode structures harvest electricity from bacterial photosynthesis Gut microbes are important for helping tadpoles survive in warmer conditions    Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, or RSS. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook.

This episode: Human-based food used as bait by hunters can reduce bears' gut microbe diversity! <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/bacteriofiles/BF480.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Episode</a> (5.9 MB, 8.6 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Actinomadura verrucosospora <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220103121728.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">News item</a> Takeaways Gut microbes are important for the health of most animals. In humans, many things can affect our gut microbe community, including diet, medications, and lifestyle. Eating a varied diet with diverse kinds of plant-based foods can maintain a healthy, functional community of many different kinds of microbe. However, eating mostly highly processed grain-based foods can reduce the diversity and functionality of the gut community. This is also true in bears. In this study, when bears consumed more processed, grain-based human foods via hunters leaving such foods out as bait, the gut communities in these bears had reduced diversity of microbes. The effects of this reduced diversity were not determined, but it is reasonable to assume it was not good for the bears’ overall health.   Journal Paper: Gillman SJ, McKenney EA, Lafferty DJR. 2022. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyab154" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Human-provisioned foods reduce gut microbiome diversity in American black bears (Ursus americanus)</a>. J Mammal 103:339–346. Other interesting stories: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220307113020.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">3D-printed electrode structures harvest electricity from bacterial photosynthesis</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220307113142.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Gut microbes are important for helping tadpoles survive in warmer conditions</a></li> </ul> Email questions or comments to <a href="mailto:bacteriofiles@gmail.com">bacteriofiles at gmail dot com</a>. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bacteriofiles/id352470437" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/BFGooglePodcasts" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/BfAndroid" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Android</a>, or <a href="http://bacteriofiles.microbeworld.libsynpro.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. Support the show at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bacteriofiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, or check out the show at <a href="http://twitter.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.

480: Bait Bottlenecks Bear Bacteria

This episode: Simple microscopic animals can survive extreme radiation by ejecting damaged cells that might otherwise become cancer! Download Episode (7.3 MB, 9.2 minutes)  Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Helleborus net necrosis virus News item Takeaways    Any multicellular organism with different types of cells needs some sort of cell regulation, to keep each cell type doing what it’s supposed to do for the good of the organism as a whole. We know what happens when this regulation fails and one type of cells starts multiplying out of control: cancer.  However, cancer has never yet been observed in certain organisms, including the simple microscopic animal Trichoplax adhaerens. In this study, these animals are exposed to large amounts of radiation and then observed over years to see if they can develop cancer or have interesting mechanisms of resisting it.   Journal Paper: Fortunato A, Fleming A, Aktipis A, Maley CC. 2021. Upregulation of DNA repair genes and cell extrusion underpin the remarkable radiation resistance of Trichoplax adhaerens. PLOS Biol 19:e3001471.   Other interesting stories:  Genes transferred from bacteria to algae helped land plants evolve    Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, or RSS. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook.

This episode: Simple microscopic animals can survive extreme radiation by ejecting damaged cells that might otherwise become cancer! <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/bacteriofiles/BF479.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Episode</a> (7.3 MB, 9.2 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30764217/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Helleborus net necrosis virus</a> <a href="https://phys.org/news/2022-01-microorganism-cancer-resistance.html" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">News item</a> Takeaways Any multicellular organism with different types of cells needs some sort of cell regulation, to keep each cell type doing what it’s supposed to do for the good of the organism as a whole. We know what happens when this regulation fails and one type of cells starts multiplying out of control: cancer. However, cancer has never yet been observed in certain organisms, including the simple microscopic animal Trichoplax adhaerens. In this study, these animals are exposed to large amounts of radiation and then observed over years to see if they can develop cancer or have interesting mechanisms of resisting it.   Journal Paper: Fortunato A, Fleming A, Aktipis A, Maley CC. 2021. <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3001471" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Upregulation of DNA repair genes and cell extrusion underpin the remarkable radiation resistance of Trichoplax adhaerens</a>. PLOS Biol 19:e3001471. Other interesting stories: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220301131053.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Genes transferred from bacteria to algae helped land plants evolve</a></li> </ul> Email questions or comments to <a href="mailto:bacteriofiles@gmail.com">bacteriofiles at gmail dot com</a>. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bacteriofiles/id352470437" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/BFGooglePodcasts" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/BfAndroid" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Android</a>, or <a href="http://bacteriofiles.microbeworld.libsynpro.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. Support the show at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bacteriofiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, or check out the show at <a href="http://twitter.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.

479: Uncomplicated Critters Conquer Cancer

This episode: How family members share gut microbes across multiple generations! Download Episode (7.3 MB, 10.7 minutes)  Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Dyozetapapillomavirus 1 Takeaways    Our gut’s microbial communities can greatly influence our health, for good or bad. The makeup of these communities can be influenced by many factors, including genetics, health status, diet, and other aspects of the environment we live in. We’ve learned a lot about this topic recently, but there’s a lot more we still don’t understand.  In this study, gut microbe samples from individuals spanning multiple generations in the same families were compared, to see how much influence family relationships and cohabitation could have on the gut communities. Both genetic relationship and living together had influences on which gut microbes different people shared.   Journal Paper: Valles-Colomer M, Bacigalupe R, Vieira-Silva S, Suzuki S, Darzi Y, Tito RY, Yamada T, Segata N, Raes J, Falony G. 2022. Variation and transmission of the human gut microbiota across multiple familial generations. 1. Nat Microbiol 7:87–96.   Other interesting stories:  Simple modification to interesting bacteria make them excrete nitrogen fertilizer Making carbon dioxide into useful chemicals with bacteria    Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, or RSS. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook.

This episode: How family members share gut microbes across multiple generations! <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/bacteriofiles/BF478.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Episode</a> (7.3 MB, 10.7 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Dyozetapapillomavirus 1 Takeaways Our gut’s microbial communities can greatly influence our health, for good or bad. The makeup of these communities can be influenced by many factors, including genetics, health status, diet, and other aspects of the environment we live in. We’ve learned a lot about this topic recently, but there’s a lot more we still don’t understand. In this study, gut microbe samples from individuals spanning multiple generations in the same families were compared, to see how much influence family relationships and cohabitation could have on the gut communities. Both genetic relationship and living together had influences on which gut microbes different people shared.   Journal Paper: Valles-Colomer M, Bacigalupe R, Vieira-Silva S, Suzuki S, Darzi Y, Tito RY, Yamada T, Segata N, Raes J, Falony G. 2022. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-021-01021-8" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Variation and transmission of the human gut microbiota across multiple familial generations</a>. 1. Nat Microbiol 7:87–96. Other interesting stories: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220217163030.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Simple modification to interesting bacteria make them excrete nitrogen fertilizer</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220221115409.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Making carbon dioxide into useful chemicals with bacteria</a></li> </ul> Email questions or comments to <a href="mailto:bacteriofiles@gmail.com">bacteriofiles at gmail dot com</a>. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bacteriofiles/id352470437" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/BFGooglePodcasts" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/BfAndroid" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Android</a>, or <a href="http://bacteriofiles.microbeworld.libsynpro.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. Support the show at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bacteriofiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, or check out the show at <a href="http://twitter.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.

478: Babies Bear Bacterial Birthright

This episode: Bacteriophages can hitch a ride on bacteria they don't infect to travel through soil on fungal filaments, potentially helping their carriers by infecting and killing their competitors! Download Episode (7.1 MB, 10.3 minutes)  Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Epinotia aporema granulovirus News item Takeaways    For tiny bacteria, partially dry soil can be like a vast system of caverns, with particles of soil separated by air-filled spaces much bigger than individual bacteria. Not all bacteria can swim through liquid, and those that can’t simply try to thrive as best they can wherever they may be. But for those that can swim, fungi and other filamentous organisms can form bridges between soil particles that motile bacteria can swim across, reaching new places.  In this study, phages were found to hitch a ride on bacteria they don’t normally infect, crossing fungus-like filaments to new places and infecting the bacteria they find there. The bacteria carrying them can also benefit from this interaction, since the phages help the carrier bacteria compete and establish a colony in the new location.   Journal Paper: You X, Kallies R, Kühn I, Schmidt M, Harms H, Chatzinotas A, Wick LY. 2022. Phage co-transport with hyphal-riding bacteria fuels bacterial invasion in a water-unsaturated microbial model system. 5. ISME J 16:1275–1283.   Other interesting stories:  Fungus species discovered in spacecraft assembly facility Oral microbes uniquely influence immune system interaction with mouth bones    Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, or RSS. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook.

This episode: Bacteriophages can hitch a ride on bacteria they don't infect to travel through soil on fungal filaments, potentially helping their carriers by infecting and killing their competitors! <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/bacteriofiles/BF477.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Episode</a> (7.1 MB, 10.3 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: <a href="https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/AEM.67.8.3702-3706.2001" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Epinotia aporema</a> <a href="https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/AEM.67.8.3702-3706.2001" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">granulovirus</a> <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211221102739.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">News item</a> Takeaways For tiny bacteria, partially dry soil can be like a vast system of caverns, with particles of soil separated by air-filled spaces much bigger than individual bacteria. Not all bacteria can swim through liquid, and those that can’t simply try to thrive as best they can wherever they may be. But for those that can swim, fungi and other filamentous organisms can form bridges between soil particles that motile bacteria can swim across, reaching new places. In this study, phages were found to hitch a ride on bacteria they don’t normally infect, crossing fungus-like filaments to new places and infecting the bacteria they find there. The bacteria carrying them can also benefit from this interaction, since the phages help the carrier bacteria compete and establish a colony in the new location.   Journal Paper: You X, Kallies R, Kühn I, Schmidt M, Harms H, Chatzinotas A, Wick LY. 2022. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41396-021-01155-x" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Phage co-transport with hyphal-riding bacteria fuels bacterial invasion in a water-unsaturated microbial model system</a>. 5. ISME J 16:1275–1283. Other interesting stories: <ul> <li><a href="https://phys.org/news/2022-02-microorganism-spacecraft-facility-berkeley-lab.html" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Fungus species discovered in spacecraft assembly facility</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220216121825.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Oral microbes uniquely influence immune system interaction with mouth bones</a></li> </ul> Email questions or comments to <a href="mailto:bacteriofiles@gmail.com">bacteriofiles at gmail dot com</a>. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bacteriofiles/id352470437" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/BFGooglePodcasts" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/BfAndroid" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Android</a>, or <a href="http://bacteriofiles.microbeworld.libsynpro.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. Support the show at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bacteriofiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, or check out the show at <a href="http://twitter.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.

477: Hijackers Hitchhike on Hyphal Highways

This episode: Beetles inoculate bamboo with a fungus that consumes the bamboo sugars to feed the beetle larvae! Download Episode (7.7 MB, 11.2 minutes)  Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Saccharomyces cerevisiae virus L-BC (La) News item Video: Lizard beetle laying its egg Takeaways    The structural polymers that make up plants, such as cellulose, can be difficult for many organisms to digest. Some kinds of bacteria and fungi can do it, and some animals (cows, pandas, termites) partner with these microbes to be able to eat otherwise indigestible plant material. This includes insects such as leaf-cutter ants that farm external gardens of microbes, providing them plant material and then eating the resulting microbial growth.  In this study, the lizard beetle lays its eggs in bamboo and inoculates the walls of the bamboo with a fungus that provides food to the larvae. Chemical analyses suggest that the fungus only consumes the simple sugars in the bamboo rather than breaking down the tougher polymers, which raises questions about the evolution of this interaction.   Journal Paper: Toki W, Aoki D. 2021. Nutritional resources of the yeast symbiont cultivated by the lizard beetle Doubledaya bucculenta in bamboos. Sci Rep 11:19208.   Other interesting stories:  Using bacteria to detect and target colon cancer for imaging (paper) Filters made from kombucha cultures could work better than synthetic types    Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, or RSS. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook.

This episode: Beetles inoculate bamboo with a fungus that consumes the bamboo sugars to feed the beetle larvae! <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/bacteriofiles/BF476.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Episode</a> (7.7 MB, 11.2 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Saccharomyces cerevisiae virus L-BC (La) <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211210103152.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">News item</a> Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiMBKwbiCLw" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Lizard beetle laying its egg</a> Takeaways The structural polymers that make up plants, such as cellulose, can be difficult for many organisms to digest. Some kinds of bacteria and fungi can do it, and some animals (cows, pandas, termites) partner with these microbes to be able to eat otherwise indigestible plant material. This includes insects such as leaf-cutter ants that farm external gardens of microbes, providing them plant material and then eating the resulting microbial growth. In this study, the lizard beetle lays its eggs in bamboo and inoculates the walls of the bamboo with a fungus that provides food to the larvae. Chemical analyses suggest that the fungus only consumes the simple sugars in the bamboo rather than breaking down the tougher polymers, which raises questions about the evolution of this interaction.   Journal Paper: Toki W, Aoki D. 2021. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-98733-y" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Nutritional resources of the yeast symbiont cultivated by the lizard beetle Doubledaya bucculenta in bamboos</a>. Sci Rep 11:19208. Other interesting stories: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-04047-4" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Using bacteria to detect and target colon cancer for imaging</a> (paper)</li> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220119155229.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Filters made from kombucha cultures could work better than synthetic types</a></li> </ul> Email questions or comments to <a href="mailto:bacteriofiles@gmail.com">bacteriofiles at gmail dot com</a>. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bacteriofiles/id352470437" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/BFGooglePodcasts" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/BfAndroid" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Android</a>, or <a href="http://bacteriofiles.microbeworld.libsynpro.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. Support the show at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bacteriofiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, or check out the show at <a href="http://twitter.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.

476: Bamboo Breakdown Benefits Beetle Babies

This episode: New techniques allow specific modifications in certain members of a complex community of microbes, without isolating them in pure culture first! Download Episode (11.5 MB, 16.7 minutes)  Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Tomato golden mosaic virus News item Takeaways    The technology for understanding and manipulating microbial genetics has come a long way in a short time. It used to take years even to sequence a small genome, and now thousands can be sequenced in just a few days. The technology to change and even create genetic sequences is also much further advanced now than just a few decades ago. But still, many analyses and modifications require a pure culture of a microbe to carry out.  This study tested a method for modification of single or multiple species in a community of many. The method allows for identification of which species were successfully modified in targeted ways, and can allow the modified species to be extracted and studied individually.   Journal Paper: Rubin BE, Diamond S, Cress BF, Crits-Christoph A, Lou YC, Borges AL, Shivram H, He C, Xu M, Zhou Z, Smith SJ, Rovinsky R, Smock DCJ, Tang K, Owens TK, Krishnappa N, Sachdeva R, Barrangou R, Deutschbauer AM, Banfield JF, Doudna JA. 2022. Species- and site-specific genome editing in complex bacterial communities. 1. Nat Microbiol 7:34–47.   Other interesting stories:  Microbes that degrade plastic may be increasing in response to plastic pollution Algae in ocean communicate with each other using fluorescence    Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, or RSS. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook.

This episode: New techniques allow specific modifications in certain members of a complex community of microbes, without isolating them in pure culture first! <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/bacteriofiles/BF475.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Episode</a> (11.5 MB, 16.7 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Tomato golden mosaic virus <a href="https://phys.org/news/2021-12-crispring-microbiome-corner.html" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">News item</a> Takeaways The technology for understanding and manipulating microbial genetics has come a long way in a short time. It used to take years even to sequence a small genome, and now thousands can be sequenced in just a few days. The technology to change and even create genetic sequences is also much further advanced now than just a few decades ago. But still, many analyses and modifications require a pure culture of a microbe to carry out. This study tested a method for modification of single or multiple species in a community of many. The method allows for identification of which species were successfully modified in targeted ways, and can allow the modified species to be extracted and studied individually.   Journal Paper: Rubin BE, Diamond S, Cress BF, Crits-Christoph A, Lou YC, Borges AL, Shivram H, He C, Xu M, Zhou Z, Smith SJ, Rovinsky R, Smock DCJ, Tang K, Owens TK, Krishnappa N, Sachdeva R, Barrangou R, Deutschbauer AM, Banfield JF, Doudna JA. 2022. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-021-01014-7" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Species- and site-specific genome editing in complex bacterial communities</a>. 1. Nat Microbiol 7:34–47. Other interesting stories: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211214084551.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Microbes that degrade plastic may be increasing in response to plastic pollution</a></li> <li><a href="https://phys.org/news/2021-12-evidence-diatoms-natural-fluorescence.html" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Algae in ocean communicate with each other using fluorescence</a></li> </ul> Email questions or comments to <a href="mailto:bacteriofiles@gmail.com">bacteriofiles at gmail dot com</a>. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bacteriofiles/id352470437" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/BFGooglePodcasts" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/BfAndroid" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Android</a>, or <a href="http://bacteriofiles.microbeworld.libsynpro.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. Support the show at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bacteriofiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, or check out the show at <a href="http://twitter.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.

475: Modifying Mixed Microbiota

This episode: Predatory bacteria could protect lobster farms from disease-causing bacteria! Download Episode (4.8 MB, 7 minutes)  Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Gordonia rubripertincta       Takeaways  Antibiotics have done wonders for controlling bacterial pathogens. Many people have lived that would otherwise have died, and some industries have produced much more than they would have, particularly those involved in animal farming. However, more and more targeted pathogens are developing resistance to the antibiotics we have, and new ones are harder to discover, so alternative approaches are needed.  Here, predatory bacteria take the place of antibiotics in a study on farmed spiny lobsters. These predators swim after and attach to prey bacteria, hollowing out their contents to use as nutrients to make more predators. They do not hurt the lobsters, but the study finds they do reduce the number of pathogenic prey organisms injected into the lobsters at the same time.   Journal Paper: Ooi MC, Goulden EF, Smith GG, Bridle ARY 2021. 2021. Predatory bacteria in the haemolymph of the cultured spiny lobster Panulirus ornatus. Microbiology 167:001113.   Other interesting stories:  3D-printing bacterial biofilms Review of latest in oncolytic (cancer-killing) viruses    Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, or RSS. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook.

This episode: Predatory bacteria could protect lobster farms from disease-causing bacteria! <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/bacteriofiles/BF474.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Episode</a> (4.8 MB, 7 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: <a href="https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Gordonia_rubripertincta" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Gordonia rubripertincta</a>     Takeaways Antibiotics have done wonders for controlling bacterial pathogens. Many people have lived that would otherwise have died, and some industries have produced much more than they would have, particularly those involved in animal farming. However, more and more targeted pathogens are developing resistance to the antibiotics we have, and new ones are harder to discover, so alternative approaches are needed. Here, predatory bacteria take the place of antibiotics in a study on farmed spiny lobsters. These predators swim after and attach to prey bacteria, hollowing out their contents to use as nutrients to make more predators. They do not hurt the lobsters, but the study finds they do reduce the number of pathogenic prey organisms injected into the lobsters at the same time.   Journal Paper: Ooi MC, Goulden EF, Smith GG, Bridle ARY 2021. 2021. <a href="https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.001113" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Predatory bacteria in the haemolymph of the cultured spiny lobster Panulirus ornatus</a>. Microbiology 167:001113. Other interesting stories: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211202141614.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">3D-printing bacterial biofilms</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211130112541.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Review of latest in oncolytic (cancer-killing) viruses</a></li> </ul> Email questions or comments to <a href="mailto:bacteriofiles@gmail.com">bacteriofiles at gmail dot com</a>. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bacteriofiles/id352470437" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/BFGooglePodcasts" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/BfAndroid" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Android</a>, or <a href="http://bacteriofiles.microbeworld.libsynpro.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. Support the show at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bacteriofiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, or check out the show at <a href="http://twitter.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.

474: Stalker Cells Stop Seafood Sickness

This episode: A bacteriophage that overcomes the bacterial CRISPR/Cas immune system by interrupting the CRISPR DNA with its own genome! Download Episode (6.8 MB, 10 minutes)  Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Wenzhou mammarenavirus   Takeaways  Bacteria have many ways to resist being exploited by bacteriophage viruses, including the adaptable CRISPR/Cas system that uses a piece of viral nucleic acid sequence to target and destroy incoming phages. But phages also have many ways to evade and disrupt bacterial defenses.  In this study, a phage is discovered that inserts its own genome into the CRISPR/Cas sequence in the bacterial genome, disrupting the bacterial defenses. To escape the defenses while it is doing this insertion, it carries genes for previously-unknown anti-CRISPR proteins. But inserting and removing a viral sequence from the bacterial genome is not always a clean procedure.   Journal Paper: Varble A, Campisi E, Euler CW, Maguin P, Kozlova A, Fyodorova J, Rostøl JT, Fischetti VA, Marraffini LA. 2021. Prophage integration into CRISPR loci enables evasion of antiviral immunity in Streptococcus pyogenes. 12. Nat Microbiol 6:1516–1525.   Other interesting stories:  Great article on the history of phage therapy  Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, or RSS. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook.

This episode: A bacteriophage that overcomes the bacterial CRISPR/Cas immune system by interrupting the CRISPR DNA with its own genome! <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/bacteriofiles/BF473.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Episode</a> (6.8 MB, 10 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Wenzhou mammarenavirus Takeaways Bacteria have many ways to resist being exploited by bacteriophage viruses, including the adaptable CRISPR/Cas system that uses a piece of viral nucleic acid sequence to target and destroy incoming phages. But phages also have many ways to evade and disrupt bacterial defenses. In this study, a phage is discovered that inserts its own genome into the CRISPR/Cas sequence in the bacterial genome, disrupting the bacterial defenses. To escape the defenses while it is doing this insertion, it carries genes for previously-unknown anti-CRISPR proteins. But inserting and removing a viral sequence from the bacterial genome is not always a clean procedure.   Journal Paper: Varble A, Campisi E, Euler CW, Maguin P, Kozlova A, Fyodorova J, Rostøl JT, Fischetti VA, Marraffini LA. 2021. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-021-00996-8" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Prophage integration into CRISPR loci enables evasion of antiviral immunity in Streptococcus pyogenes</a>. 12. Nat Microbiol 6:1516–1525. Other interesting stories: <ul> <li><a href="https://asm.org/Articles/2022/August/Phage-Therapy-Past,-Present-and-Future" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Great article on the history of phage therapy</a></li> </ul> Email questions or comments to <a href="mailto:bacteriofiles@gmail.com">bacteriofiles at gmail dot com</a>. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bacteriofiles/id352470437" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/BFGooglePodcasts" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/BfAndroid" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Android</a>, or <a href="http://bacteriofiles.microbeworld.libsynpro.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. Support the show at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bacteriofiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, or check out the show at <a href="http://twitter.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.

473: Bacteriophage Bunks in Bacterial Barriers

This episode: Bacteria can use blobs of disordered proteins to quickly adapt to new conditions!   Thanks to Dr. Saumya Saurabh for his contribution! Download Episode (10.9 MB, 15.9 minutes)  Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Drosophila melanogaster Micropia virus       Takeaways  Bacteria can adapt to environmental fluctuations via mechanisms operating at the various levels of the central dogma, or metabolism (stringent response). Recently, researchers at Stanford University discovered a mechanism that allows bacteria to sense and rapidly adapt to nutrient fluctuations by simply tuning protein self-assembly as a function of nutrient availability. Termed membraneless organelles or condensates, these proteinaceous assemblies can dynamically sequester key signaling enzymes within them in response to environmental cues. Biophysical adaptation mediated by organelles is fast, reversible, and facile; thereby representing a crucial step in the mechanistic understanding of microbial adaptation.   Journal Paper: Saurabh S, Chong TN, Bayas C, Dahlberg PD, Cartwright HN, Moerner WE, Shapiro L. 2022. ATP-responsive biomolecular condensates tune bacterial kinase signaling. Sci Adv 8:eabm6570.   Other interesting stories:  Bacteria produce biofuel from carbon dioxide, light, and solar power-generated electricity Vine that can mimic leaves of different trees may get info from bacteria (paper)    Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, or RSS. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook.

This episode: Bacteria can use blobs of disordered proteins to quickly adapt to new conditions!   Thanks to Dr. Saumya Saurabh for his contribution! <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/bacteriofiles/BF472.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Episode</a> (10.9 MB, 15.9 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Drosophila melanogaster Micropia virus     Takeaways Bacteria can adapt to environmental fluctuations via mechanisms operating at the various levels of the central dogma, or metabolism (stringent response). Recently, researchers at Stanford University discovered a mechanism that allows bacteria to sense and rapidly adapt to nutrient fluctuations by simply tuning protein self-assembly as a function of nutrient availability. Termed membraneless organelles or condensates, these proteinaceous assemblies can dynamically sequester key signaling enzymes within them in response to environmental cues. Biophysical adaptation mediated by organelles is fast, reversible, and facile; thereby representing a crucial step in the mechanistic understanding of microbial adaptation.   Journal Paper: Saurabh S, Chong TN, Bayas C, Dahlberg PD, Cartwright HN, Moerner WE, Shapiro L. 2022. <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abm6570" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">ATP-responsive biomolecular condensates tune bacterial kinase signaling</a>. Sci Adv 8:eabm6570. Other interesting stories: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211103082624.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Bacteria produce biofuel from carbon dioxide, light, and solar power-generated electricity</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-02229-8" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Vine that can mimic leaves of different trees may get info from bacteria</a> (paper)</li> </ul> Email questions or comments to <a href="mailto:bacteriofiles@gmail.com">bacteriofiles at gmail dot com</a>. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bacteriofiles/id352470437" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/BFGooglePodcasts" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/BfAndroid" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Android</a>, or <a href="http://bacteriofiles.microbeworld.libsynpro.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. Support the show at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bacteriofiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, or check out the show at <a href="http://twitter.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.

472: Caulobacter Condensates Compartmentalize Kinase

This episode: A phage both kills bacterial pathogens and selects for reduced virulence! Download Episode (6.3 MB, 9.9 minutes)  Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Helminthosporium victoriae 145S virusNews item    Takeaways  Using bacteria-killing viruses to treat bacterial infections, or phage therapy, can be a good alternative to antibiotics in some situations when there are no effective antibiotics for a particular infection. But bacteria can evolve resistance to phages as well as antibiotics, often with little cost to their fitness.  In this study, a phage not only could treat an infection by attacking the bacteria, but the bacterial hosts that do evolve resistance to the phage do so by getting rid of certain structures that help them to cause more serious infection. Thus, therapy with this phage may both reduce the bacterial load and also make those remaining less virulent.   Journal Paper: Kortright KE, Done RE, Chan BK, Souza V, Turner PE. 2022. Selection for Phage Resistance Reduces Virulence of Shigella flexneri. Appl Environ Microbiol 88:e01514-21.   Other interesting stories:  Plastic-eating bacteria could produce biodegradable plastic Harmless variant of acne bacteria could help prevent more serious skin infection    Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, or RSS. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook.

This episode: A phage both kills bacterial pathogens and selects for reduced virulence! <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/bacteriofiles/BF471.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Episode</a> (6.3 MB, 9.9 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0042682278901666" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Helminthosporium victoriae 145S virus</a><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211119155453.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">News item</a>   Takeaways Using bacteria-killing viruses to treat bacterial infections, or phage therapy, can be a good alternative to antibiotics in some situations when there are no effective antibiotics for a particular infection. But bacteria can evolve resistance to phages as well as antibiotics, often with little cost to their fitness. In this study, a phage not only could treat an infection by attacking the bacteria, but the bacterial hosts that do evolve resistance to the phage do so by getting rid of certain structures that help them to cause more serious infection. Thus, therapy with this phage may both reduce the bacterial load and also make those remaining less virulent.   Journal Paper: Kortright KE, Done RE, Chan BK, Souza V, Turner PE. 2022. <a href="https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/AEM.01514-21" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Selection for Phage Resistance Reduces Virulence of Shigella flexneri</a>. Appl Environ Microbiol 88:e01514-21. Other interesting stories: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211019110508.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Plastic-eating bacteria could produce biodegradable plastic</a></li> <li><a href="https://phys.org/news/2021-10-acne-equal-scientists-reveal-strains.html" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Harmless variant of acne bacteria could help prevent more serious skin infection</a></li> </ul> Email questions or comments to <a href="mailto:bacteriofiles@gmail.com">bacteriofiles at gmail dot com</a>. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bacteriofiles/id352470437" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/BFGooglePodcasts" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/BfAndroid" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Android</a>, or <a href="http://bacteriofiles.microbeworld.libsynpro.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. Support the show at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bacteriofiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, or check out the show at <a href="http://twitter.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.

471: Phage Fight Foils Fitness

The podcast for microbe lovers: reporting on exciting news about bacteria, archaea, and sometimes even eukaryotic microbes and viruses.

I really like how Jesse presents articles in an easy to understand style. 
Mike in Oregon

Nice summaries

I like this show. Microbes are very interesting. Keep it up!

Interesting

BacterioFiles

This episode: Engineered bacteria could help people digest an essential nutrient when they can't digest it themselves! Download Episode (8.5 MB, 9.3 minutes)  Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Kadipiro virus News item (paywall)  Science-Based Medicine blog article about phenylketonuria, Synlogic, and engineering bacteria to treat this disorder, with lots of good detail  Takeaways Treating genetic disorders can be very difficult. Sometimes they can be managed, with lifestyle, diet, or medication, but cure has almost always been out of the picture. With a disorder such as phenylketonuria (PKU), for example, in which the body is unable to fully metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine, diet and medication may work to some extent.  In an effort to provide better options for PKU, scientists at Synlogic, Inc have created a strain of Escherichia coli that produces phenylalanine-degrading enzymes in the gut. The hope is that ingesting this bacterium could allow PKU patients to be less restrictive with their diet.  Journal Paper: Isabella VM, Ha BN, Castillo MJ, Lubkowicz DJ, Rowe SE, Millet YA, Anderson CL, Li N, Fisher AB, West KA, Reeder PJ, Momin MM, Bergeron CG, Guilmain SE, Miller PF, Kurtz CB, Falb D. 2018. Development of a synthetic live bacterial therapeutic for the human metabolic disease phenylketonuria. Nat Biotechnol 36:857–864. Other interesting stories:  Probiotic molecule induces protection in mice against viral brain infection E. coli growing with artificially synthesized genome (Extra information)    Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, RSS, Google Play. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

This episode: Engineered bacteria could help people digest an essential nutrient when they can't digest it themselves! <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/bacteriofiles/BF389.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Episode</a> (8.5 MB, 9.3 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kadipiro_virus" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Kadipiro virus</a> <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(19)30167-2" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">News item</a> (paywall) <a href="https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/have-researchers-developed-a-potential-microbial-miracle-for-phenylketonuria-patients/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Science-Based Medicine blog article about phenylketonuria, Synlogic, and engineering bacteria to treat this disorder, with lots of good detail</a> Takeaways Treating genetic disorders can be very difficult. Sometimes they can be managed, with lifestyle, diet, or medication, but cure has almost always been out of the picture. With a disorder such as phenylketonuria (PKU), for example, in which the body is unable to fully metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine, diet and medication may work to some extent. In an effort to provide better options for PKU, scientists at Synlogic, Inc have created a strain of Escherichia coli that produces phenylalanine-degrading enzymes in the gut. The hope is that ingesting this bacterium could allow PKU patients to be less restrictive with their diet. Journal Paper: Isabella VM, Ha BN, Castillo MJ, Lubkowicz DJ, Rowe SE, Millet YA, Anderson CL, Li N, Fisher AB, West KA, Reeder PJ, Momin MM, Bergeron CG, Guilmain SE, Miller PF, Kurtz CB, Falb D. 2018. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nbt.4222" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Development of a synthetic live bacterial therapeutic for the human metabolic disease phenylketonuria</a>. Nat Biotechnol 36:857–864. Other interesting stories: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190514081740.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Probiotic molecule induces protection in mice against viral brain infection</a></li> <li><a href="https://phys.org/news/2019-05-genes-coli-bacteria-genome.html" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">E. coli growing with artificially synthesized genome</a> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01584-x" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">(Extra information)</a></li> </ul> Email questions or comments to <a href="mailto:bacteriofiles@gmail.com">bacteriofiles at gmail dot com</a>. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bacteriofiles/id352470437" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="http://bacteriofiles.microbeworld.libsynpro.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>, <a href="https://goo.gl/app/playmusic?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&amp;isi=691797987&amp;ius=googleplaymusic&amp;link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Irqrgrp5uy5lwop5vby2ysjbu4y?t%3DBacterioFiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Google Play</a>. Support the show at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bacteriofiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, or check out the show at <a href="http://twitter.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/BacterioFiles/349532233141" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>

389: Prokaryotes Pacify Protein Problem

This episode: Five different ways of thinking about our relationship with our microbes! Download Episode (20.4 MB, 29.8 minutes)  Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Tuhoko rubulavirus 3 News item  Takeaways The microbiome by itself is an amazingly complicated community of many different species, with different lifestyles and metabolisms, all living together in competition and cooperation. On top of that, interactions between the microbiome and our body and our lifestyle multiply the complexity even more.  This article explores five different views of the microbiome and how it fits into our body (or how the body fits in with the microbiome). From the organ view to the ecosystem view, each is a different way of looking at the different functions, dynamic patterns, and integration of the microbiome in its host, and each provides guidance for how to approach treatment of disease and maintenance of health.  Journal Paper: Morar N, Bohannan BJM. 2019. The Conceptual Ecology of the Human Microbiome. The Quarterly Review of Biology 94:149–175. Other interesting stories:  New resource connecting drugs, foods, and microbiota enzymes for potential interactions (paper) Building cancer-killing viruses that are controlled with light (paper)    Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, RSS, Google Play. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

This episode: Five different ways of thinking about our relationship with our microbes! <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/bacteriofiles/BF395.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Episode</a> (20.4 MB, 29.8 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20537670" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Tuhoko rubulavirus 3</a> <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190605150700.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">News item</a> Takeaways The microbiome by itself is an amazingly complicated community of many different species, with different lifestyles and metabolisms, all living together in competition and cooperation. On top of that, interactions between the microbiome and our body and our lifestyle multiply the complexity even more. This article explores five different views of the microbiome and how it fits into our body (or how the body fits in with the microbiome). From the organ view to the ecosystem view, each is a different way of looking at the different functions, dynamic patterns, and integration of the microbiome in its host, and each provides guidance for how to approach treatment of disease and maintenance of health. Journal Paper: Morar N, Bohannan BJM. 2019. <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/703582" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Conceptual Ecology of the Human Microbiome</a>. The Quarterly Review of Biology 94:149–175. Other interesting stories: <ul> <li><a href="https://elifesciences.org/articles/42866" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">New resource connecting drugs, foods, and microbiota enzymes for potential interactions</a> (paper)</li> <li><a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/116/24/11587.short" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Building cancer-killing viruses that are controlled with light</a> (paper)</li> </ul> Email questions or comments to <a href="mailto:bacteriofiles@gmail.com">bacteriofiles at gmail dot com</a>. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bacteriofiles/id352470437" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="http://bacteriofiles.microbeworld.libsynpro.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>, <a href="https://goo.gl/app/playmusic?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&amp;isi=691797987&amp;ius=googleplaymusic&amp;link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Irqrgrp5uy5lwop5vby2ysjbu4y?t%3DBacterioFiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Google Play</a>. Support the show at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bacteriofiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, or check out the show at <a href="http://twitter.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/BacterioFiles/349532233141" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>

395: Many Microbiome Mindsets

This episode: Microbes in household dust help degrade potentially harmful plasticizer chemicals!  Thanks to Ashleigh Bope for her contribution! Download Episode (6.7 MB, 7.3 minutes)  Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Rosa rugosa leaf distortion virus  News item  Takeaways Modern life and technology comes with modern challenges, including exposure to chemicals in building materials and such that humans didn't encounter much before the last few generations. Phthalate esters, found in PVC and other materials, can accumulate in homes and cause some problems, especially in children.  Modern life is also new to microbes, but they are very adaptable and versatile. In this study, microbes in household dust show some ability to break down the phthalates over time. Whether this activity is significant and beneficial to residents remains to be discovered.  Journal Paper: Bope A, Haines SR, Hegarty B, Weschler CJ, Peccia J, Dannemiller KC. Degradation of phthalate esters in floor dust at elevated relative humidity. Environ Sci: Processes Impacts. Other interesting stories:  Native fungi tag team to kill invasive insect pest (paper)    Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, RSS, Google Play. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

This episode: Microbes in household dust help degrade potentially harmful plasticizer chemicals! Thanks to Ashleigh Bope for her contribution! <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/bacteriofiles/BF388.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Episode</a> (6.7 MB, 7.3 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Rosa rugosa leaf distortion virus <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190410112738.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">News item</a> Takeaways Modern life and technology comes with modern challenges, including exposure to chemicals in building materials and such that humans didn't encounter much before the last few generations. Phthalate esters, found in PVC and other materials, can accumulate in homes and cause some problems, especially in children. Modern life is also new to microbes, but they are very adaptable and versatile. In this study, microbes in household dust show some ability to break down the phthalates over time. Whether this activity is significant and beneficial to residents remains to be discovered. Journal Paper: Bope A, Haines SR, Hegarty B, Weschler CJ, Peccia J, Dannemiller KC. <a href="https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2019/em/c9em00050j" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Degradation of phthalate esters in floor dust at elevated relative humidity</a>. Environ Sci: Processes Impacts. Other interesting stories: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/116/19/9178.short" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Native fungi tag team to kill invasive insect pest</a> (paper)</li> </ul> Email questions or comments to <a href="mailto:bacteriofiles@gmail.com">bacteriofiles at gmail dot com</a>. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bacteriofiles/id352470437" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="http://bacteriofiles.microbeworld.libsynpro.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>, <a href="https://goo.gl/app/playmusic?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&amp;isi=691797987&amp;ius=googleplaymusic&amp;link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Irqrgrp5uy5lwop5vby2ysjbu4y?t%3DBacterioFiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Google Play</a>. Support the show at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bacteriofiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, or check out the show at <a href="http://twitter.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/BacterioFiles/349532233141" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>

388: Floor Fungi Fracture Phthalates

This episode: Bacteria strengthen concrete while helping to prevent damage from road salts! Download Episode (6.8 MB, 7.4 minutes)  Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Azospirillum brasilense News item  Takeaways Winter is a bad time for concrete outside. Water seeps into cracks and freezes, causing bigger cracks that widen into potholes. Even the road salts used to keep water from freezing can react with compounds in the cement to break down the structure of the concrete.  This study looks to bacteria for a solution for protecting concrete from these reactions. Sporosarcina pasteurii, given the right nutrients, can take the harmful salt compounds and turn them into minerals that strengthen the concrete instead of weakening it.  Journal Paper: Ksara M, Newkirk R, Langroodi SK, Althoey F, Sales CM, Schauer CL, Farnam Y. 2019. Microbial damage mitigation strategy in cementitious materials exposed to calcium chloride. Construction and Building Materials 195:1–9. Other interesting stories:  Developing way for bacteria to make mother-of-pearl, a tough and useful material    Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, RSS, Google Play. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

This episode: Bacteria strengthen concrete while helping to prevent damage from road salts! <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/bacteriofiles/BF387.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Episode</a> (6.8 MB, 7.4 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: <a href="https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Azospirillum_brasilense" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Azospirillum brasilense</a> <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190409135831.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">News item</a> Takeaways Winter is a bad time for concrete outside. Water seeps into cracks and freezes, causing bigger cracks that widen into potholes. Even the road salts used to keep water from freezing can react with compounds in the cement to break down the structure of the concrete. This study looks to bacteria for a solution for protecting concrete from these reactions. Sporosarcina pasteurii, given the right nutrients, can take the harmful salt compounds and turn them into minerals that strengthen the concrete instead of weakening it. Journal Paper: Ksara M, Newkirk R, Langroodi SK, Althoey F, Sales CM, Schauer CL, Farnam Y. 2019. <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950061818324334" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Microbial damage mitigation strategy in cementitious materials exposed to calcium chloride</a>. Construction and Building Materials 195:1–9. Other interesting stories: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190423133517.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Developing way for bacteria to make mother-of-pearl, a tough and useful material</a></li> </ul> Email questions or comments to <a href="mailto:bacteriofiles@gmail.com">bacteriofiles at gmail dot com</a>. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bacteriofiles/id352470437" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="http://bacteriofiles.microbeworld.libsynpro.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>, <a href="https://goo.gl/app/playmusic?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&amp;isi=691797987&amp;ius=googleplaymusic&amp;link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Irqrgrp5uy5lwop5vby2ysjbu4y?t%3DBacterioFiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Google Play</a>. Support the show at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bacteriofiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, or check out the show at <a href="http://twitter.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/BacterioFiles/349532233141" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>

387: Carbonate Creators Combat Cracking

This episode: Figuring out how gut communities change with changes in diet! Download Episode (6.1 MB, 8.8 minutes)  Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Hepacivirus A  News item  Takeaways Diet can play a big role in our health. It's not a magic pill that can cure or prevent anything, but a good diet can significantly reduce many health risks for the average person, compared with a bad diet.  Diet also has a big effect on the community of microbes in our gut, and this may play a role in the health effects we see from diet, so understanding how food and microbes interact is important. This study looked at the diet quality of participants in several food categories, and correlated this with various kinds of microbes found inside them.  Journal Paper: Liu Y, Ajami NJ, El-Serag HB, Hair C, Graham DY, White DL, Chen L, Wang Z, Plew S, Kramer J, Cole R, Hernaez R, Hou J, Husain N, Jarbrink-Sehgal ME, Kanwal F, Ketwaroo G, Natarajan Y, Shah R, Velez M, Mallepally N, Petrosino JF, Jiao L. 2019. Dietary quality and the colonic mucosa–associated gut microbiome in humans. Am J Clin Nutr 110:701–712. Other interesting stories:  Sea slug uses defensive toxins that bacteria make for algae it eats Good bacteria help bats survive deadly fungus    Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, or RSS. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook.

This episode: Figuring out how gut communities change with changes in diet! <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/bacteriofiles/BF301.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Episode</a> (6.1 MB, 8.8 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Hepacivirus A <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190715164650.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">News item</a> Takeaways Diet can play a big role in our health. It's not a magic pill that can cure or prevent anything, but a good diet can significantly reduce many health risks for the average person, compared with a bad diet. Diet also has a big effect on the community of microbes in our gut, and this may play a role in the health effects we see from diet, so understanding how food and microbes interact is important. This study looked at the diet quality of participants in several food categories, and correlated this with various kinds of microbes found inside them. Journal Paper: Liu Y, Ajami NJ, El-Serag HB, Hair C, Graham DY, White DL, Chen L, Wang Z, Plew S, Kramer J, Cole R, Hernaez R, Hou J, Husain N, Jarbrink-Sehgal ME, Kanwal F, Ketwaroo G, Natarajan Y, Shah R, Velez M, Mallepally N, Petrosino JF, Jiao L. 2019. <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/110/3/701/5530748" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Dietary quality and the colonic mucosa–associated gut microbiome in humans</a>. Am J Clin Nutr 110:701–712. Other interesting stories: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190627164743.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Sea slug uses defensive toxins that bacteria make for algae it eats</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190627113947.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Good bacteria help bats survive deadly fungus</a></li> </ul> Email questions or comments to <a href="mailto:bacteriofiles@gmail.com">bacteriofiles at gmail dot com</a>. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bacteriofiles/id352470437" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/BFGooglePodcasts" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/BfAndroid" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Android</a>, or <a href="http://bacteriofiles.microbeworld.libsynpro.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. Support the show at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bacteriofiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, or check out the show at <a href="http://twitter.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.

400: Considering Consumables' Community Correlations

This episode: Bacteria can aide the production of the useful material graphene, using their ability to add electrons to external surfaces! Download Episode (7.7 MB, 11.3 minutes)  Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Brevibacterium frigoritolerans News item  Takeaways Advanced materials often take advanced techniques to create, but they offer numerous benefits: increased strength and flexibility, smaller size, more options. One such material is graphene, which is basically a sheet of carbon atoms linked together like chainmail. It is only a single atom thick but is amazingly strong, mostly transparent, and good at conducting heat and electricity.  The trick is, it's hard to make in large quantities cheaply and easily. Sheets of carbons can be obtained from blocks of graphite, but these sheets are graphene oxide, which lack the desirable properties of graphene. Chemical methods can be used to remove the oxidation, but they are harsh and difficult. Luckily, bacteria are great at microscopic remodeling. In this study, electron-transferring bacteria are able to reduce the graphene oxide to graphene with properties almost as good as are achieved by chemical reduction.  Journal Paper: Lehner BAE, Janssen VAEC, Spiesz EM, Benz D, Brouns SJJ, Meyer AS, van der Zant HSJ. 2019. Creation of Conductive Graphene Materials by Bacterial Reduction Using Shewanella oneidensis. ChemistryOpen 8:888–895. Other interesting stories:  Frog skin gut bacteria correlate with resistance to deadly virus Skin microbiota could be transplanted to treat skin conditions (paper)    Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, or RSS. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook.

This episode: Bacteria can aide the production of the useful material graphene, using their ability to add electrons to external surfaces! <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/bacteriofiles/BF399.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Episode</a> (7.7 MB, 11.3 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Brevibacterium frigoritolerans <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190710163413.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">News item</a> Takeaways Advanced materials often take advanced techniques to create, but they offer numerous benefits: increased strength and flexibility, smaller size, more options. One such material is graphene, which is basically a sheet of carbon atoms linked together like chainmail. It is only a single atom thick but is amazingly strong, mostly transparent, and good at conducting heat and electricity. The trick is, it's hard to make in large quantities cheaply and easily. Sheets of carbons can be obtained from blocks of graphite, but these sheets are graphene oxide, which lack the desirable properties of graphene. Chemical methods can be used to remove the oxidation, but they are harsh and difficult. Luckily, bacteria are great at microscopic remodeling. In this study, electron-transferring bacteria are able to reduce the graphene oxide to graphene with properties almost as good as are achieved by chemical reduction. Journal Paper: Lehner BAE, Janssen VAEC, Spiesz EM, Benz D, Brouns SJJ, Meyer AS, van der Zant HSJ. 2019. <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/open.201900186" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Creation of Conductive Graphene Materials by Bacterial Reduction Using Shewanella oneidensis</a>. ChemistryOpen 8:888–895. Other interesting stories: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190621220744.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Frog skin gut bacteria correlate with resistance to deadly virus</a></li> <li><a href="https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-019-0709-3" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Skin microbiota could be transplanted to treat skin conditions</a> (paper)</li> </ul> Email questions or comments to <a href="mailto:bacteriofiles@gmail.com">bacteriofiles at gmail dot com</a>. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bacteriofiles/id352470437" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/BFGooglePodcasts" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/BfAndroid" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Android</a>, or <a href="http://bacteriofiles.microbeworld.libsynpro.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. Support the show at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bacteriofiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, or check out the show at <a href="http://twitter.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.

399: Conductor Creating Carbon Canvases

This episode: In this partnership between fungus and algae, the algae eventually take up residence inside their partner! Download Episode (8.4 MB, 12.1 minutes)  Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Erwinia tracheiphila News item/Summary article  Takeaways Partnerships and cooperation between otherwise free-living organisms is common in the natural world. Partnering with a photosynthetic organism is a smart approach, allowing the partner to get its energy from the sun and making gathering nutrients easier for the phototroph, and possibly offering protection as well. But in most partnerships, each partner stays separated by its own cell membrane.  In this study, a fungus and an alga grow well together, exchanging carbon for nitrogen, similar to how lichens operate. But after a month or so of co-culture, the algae apparently enter the cells of the fungus somehow and live inside it, happily growing and dividing, turning the fungus green.  Journal Paper: Du Z-Y, Zienkiewicz K, Vande Pol N, Ostrom NE, Benning C, Bonito GM. 2019. Algal-fungal symbiosis leads to photosynthetic mycelium. eLife 8:e47815. Other interesting stories:  Skin microbe transplants could produce healthier skin communities Algae took genes from bacteria to deal with harsh conditions    Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, or RSS. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook.

This episode: In this partnership between fungus and algae, the algae eventually take up residence inside their partner! <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/bacteriofiles/BF401.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Episode</a> (8.4 MB, 12.1 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacterial_wilt" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Erwinia tracheiphila</a> <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190723163943.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">News item</a>/<a href="https://elifesciences.org/articles/49448" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Summary article</a> Takeaways Partnerships and cooperation between otherwise free-living organisms is common in the natural world. Partnering with a photosynthetic organism is a smart approach, allowing the partner to get its energy from the sun and making gathering nutrients easier for the phototroph, and possibly offering protection as well. But in most partnerships, each partner stays separated by its own cell membrane. In this study, a fungus and an alga grow well together, exchanging carbon for nitrogen, similar to how lichens operate. But after a month or so of co-culture, the algae apparently enter the cells of the fungus somehow and live inside it, happily growing and dividing, turning the fungus green. Journal Paper: Du Z-Y, Zienkiewicz K, Vande Pol N, Ostrom NE, Benning C, Bonito GM. 2019. <a href="https://elifesciences.org/articles/47815" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Algal-fungal symbiosis leads to photosynthetic mycelium</a>. eLife 8:e47815. Other interesting stories: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190708122355.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Skin microbe transplants could produce healthier skin communities</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190717122557.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Algae took genes from bacteria to deal with harsh conditions</a></li> </ul> Email questions or comments to <a href="mailto:bacteriofiles@gmail.com">bacteriofiles at gmail dot com</a>. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bacteriofiles/id352470437" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/BFGooglePodcasts" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/BfAndroid" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Android</a>, or <a href="http://bacteriofiles.microbeworld.libsynpro.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>. Support the show at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bacteriofiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, or check out the show at <a href="http://twitter.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.

401: Phototrophs Fill Fungal Filaments

This episode: Slime molds can learn to get used to salt and hold on to that memory even after a period of dormancy! Download Episode (8.9 MB, 9.7 minutes)  Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Nocardia transvalensis News item  Takeaways Slime mold Physarum polycephalum has many surprisingly intelligent abilities, despite being only a single cell. Studying how these abilities work in the cell can teach us new ways that life can do things. The ability of interest here is habituation, or learning not to avoid a chemical that seems unpleasant to the cell but is not necessarily harmful, especially with a food reward.  The slime mold can become habituated to salt, in this case, learning to tolerate it enough to pass through a gradient of increasing concentration to get to some food as quickly as it crosses the same distance with no salt present. The scientists here learned that the cell takes up sodium into itself as it habituates, and holds onto both sodium and its memory through a period of hibernation.  Journal Paper: Boussard A., Delescluse J., Pérez-Escudero A., Dussutour A. 2019. Memory inception and preservation in slime moulds: the quest for a common mechanism. Phil Trans R Soc B 374:20180368. Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, RSS, Google Play. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

This episode: Slime molds can learn to get used to salt and hold on to that memory even after a period of dormancy! <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/bacteriofiles/BF391.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Episode</a> (8.9 MB, 9.7 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Nocardia transvalensis <a href="https://phys.org/news/2019-04-slime-mold-absorbs-substances.html" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">News item</a> Takeaways Slime mold Physarum polycephalum has many surprisingly intelligent abilities, despite being only a single cell. Studying how these abilities work in the cell can teach us new ways that life can do things. The ability of interest here is habituation, or learning not to avoid a chemical that seems unpleasant to the cell but is not necessarily harmful, especially with a food reward. The slime mold can become habituated to salt, in this case, learning to tolerate it enough to pass through a gradient of increasing concentration to get to some food as quickly as it crosses the same distance with no salt present. The scientists here learned that the cell takes up sodium into itself as it habituates, and holds onto both sodium and its memory through a period of hibernation. Journal Paper: Boussard A., Delescluse J., Pérez-Escudero A., Dussutour A. 2019. <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2018.0368" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Memory inception and preservation in slime moulds: the quest for a common mechanism</a>. Phil Trans R Soc B 374:20180368. Email questions or comments to <a href="mailto:bacteriofiles@gmail.com">bacteriofiles at gmail dot com</a>. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bacteriofiles/id352470437" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="http://bacteriofiles.microbeworld.libsynpro.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>, <a href="https://goo.gl/app/playmusic?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&amp;isi=691797987&amp;ius=googleplaymusic&amp;link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Irqrgrp5uy5lwop5vby2ysjbu4y?t%3DBacterioFiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Google Play</a>. Support the show at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bacteriofiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, or check out the show at <a href="http://twitter.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/BacterioFiles/349532233141" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>

391: Slime Stores Sodium Sensibility

This episode: Bacteria help gently clean residue off artworks painted on stone! Download Episode (5.6 MB, 6.1 minutes)  Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Cellulophaga virus Cba171  Takeaways More and more cleaning products these days contain an ingredient called "enzymes." These are proteins that break down contaminants biologically instead of just removing them chemically, in a targeted manner.  In a similar approach, this study explores applying bacteria directly to classic artwork painted directly on stone, to clean up residues on the surface. These bacteria can produce enzymes on site and degrade the contaminants while leaving the underlying paint intact.  Journal Paper: Ranalli G, Zanardini E, Rampazzi L, Corti C, Andreotti A, Colombini MP, Bosch‐Roig P, Lustrato G, Giantomassi C, Zari D, Virilli P. 2019. Onsite advanced biocleaning system on historical wall paintings using new agar-gauze bacteria gel. J Appl Microbiol 126:1785–1796. Other interesting stories:  Mouth bacteria prevent gum disease by interfering with activity of other bacteria (paper) Despite identical genetics, individual bacteria can behave differently through random variation    Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, RSS, Google Play. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

This episode: Bacteria help gently clean residue off artworks painted on stone! <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/bacteriofiles/BF386.mp3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download Episode</a> (5.6 MB, 6.1 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Cellulophaga virus Cba171 Takeaways More and more cleaning products these days contain an ingredient called "enzymes." These are proteins that break down contaminants biologically instead of just removing them chemically, in a targeted manner. In a similar approach, this study explores applying bacteria directly to classic artwork painted directly on stone, to clean up residues on the surface. These bacteria can produce enzymes on site and degrade the contaminants while leaving the underlying paint intact. Journal Paper: Ranalli G, Zanardini E, Rampazzi L, Corti C, Andreotti A, Colombini MP, Bosch‐Roig P, Lustrato G, Giantomassi C, Zari D, Virilli P. 2019. <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jam.14275" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Onsite advanced biocleaning system on historical wall paintings using new agar-gauze bacteria gel</a>. J Appl Microbiol 126:1785–1796. Other interesting stories: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/116/17/8544.short" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Mouth bacteria prevent gum disease by interfering with activity of other bacteria</a> (paper)</li> <li><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190423133557.htm" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Despite identical genetics, individual bacteria can behave differently through random variation</a></li> </ul> Email questions or comments to <a href="mailto:bacteriofiles@gmail.com">bacteriofiles at gmail dot com</a>. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bacteriofiles/id352470437" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="http://bacteriofiles.microbeworld.libsynpro.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">RSS</a>, <a href="https://goo.gl/app/playmusic?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&amp;isi=691797987&amp;ius=googleplaymusic&amp;link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Irqrgrp5uy5lwop5vby2ysjbu4y?t%3DBacterioFiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Google Play</a>. Support the show at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bacteriofiles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, or check out the show at <a href="http://twitter.com/BacterioFiles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/BacterioFiles/349532233141" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>

386: Cupola Contaminant Cleaners

The best podcast episodes on non-current politics. Covering topics such as universal basic income, democracy, poverty & justice and more. For anyone interested in learning more about politics that affect that world, not just now, but in the longer term. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best Non-Current Politics Podcasts

The best podcasts on investing. For anyone interested in the stories in the investing industry, whether it's an interview with Ray Dalio or Ed Thorp to the writer of The Big Short. This topic includes the most fascinating stories from all the best investors. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!