This Week in Microbiology
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TWiM 345: Faster than rocks!
TWiM explains a biological mechanism that links sulfur and iron cycling in anoxic environments, and “swashing,” a form of surface movement in which bacteria migrate without active propulsion.
Hosts: Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson, and Petra Levin
Guest: Mark O. Martin
Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, RSS, or by email.
Links for this episode
- Sulfur and iron cycling in anoxic environments (Nature)
- Bacterial surface migration by swashing (J Bacteriol)
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Music used on TWiM is by Ronald Jenkees.
Send your microbiology questions and comments to twim@microbe.tv
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344: Ant Yogurt and Fine Chocolate
TWiM reveals the bacteria, acids, and enzymes behind yogurt made with ants, and a defined set of microbes that reproduces attributes of fine flavor chocolate fermentation
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Petra Levin
Guest: Mark O. Martin
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Links for this episode:
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Making yogurt with ants (iScience)
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How to make classic tuiles (MasterClass)
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Defined microbes for chocolate (Nat Micro)
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Microbial chocolatiers of fine flavour (Nat Micro)
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Blind taste every chocolate bar (YouTube)
Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.
Send your microbiology questions and comments to twim@microbe.tv
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343: Nucleotides to the Defense
TWiM explores two different ways that bacteria defend against phages through the synthesis of cyclic nucleotides.
Hosts: Michael Schmidt and Mark O. Martin
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Links for this episode:
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Decoy cyclic nucleotides in phage defense (Nature)
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CRISPR defense with nucleotides (Nature)
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A decoy defence molecule to set a trap for viruses (Nature)
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Cyclic oligonucleotide-based antiphage signaling system immunity (Curr Opin Immunol)
Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.
Send your microbiology questions and comments to twim@microbe.tv
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342: The Microbiome, Pancreatic Cancer, and Sleep Quality
TWiM explains studies that show that the oral bacterial and fungal microbiome are risk factors for pancreatic cancer, and the gut microbiome and pyruvate metabolism of older adults are a link between sleep quality and frailty.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Michele Swanson.
Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Android, RSS, or by email.
Become a patron of TWiM.
Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.
Links for this episode
- Oral microbiome and pancreatic cancer risk (JAMA Oncol)
- 2025 Cancer Facts & Figures (ACS)
- Periodontal Disease: The Good, The Bad, and The Unknown (Front Cell Infect Micro)
- Socransky’s disease complexes (Microorg)
- Microbiome, pyruvate metabolism, sleep quality, and frailty (Cell Rep)
- Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (pdf)
- How to score the sleep quality index (pdf)
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Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to twim@microbe.tv
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341: Sea Star Wasting Disease
TWiM reveals a Vibrio as the causative agent of sea star wasting disease, and using microcolony-seq to uncover phenotypic inheritance from single cells.
Hosts: Michael Schmidt and Michele Swanson
Guest: Mark O. Martin
Become a patron of TWiM.
Links for this episode:
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Agent of sea star wasting disease (Nat Ecol Evol)
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Sea star wasting mystery solved (Nat Ecol Evol)
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Phenotypic inheritance from single cells (Cell)
Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.
Send your microbiology questions and comments to twim@microbe.tv
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