Microbe Talk

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 seasonAlgae 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.htmlwww.the-scientist.com/notebook/researchers-propose-automating-the-naming-of-novel-microbes--68411www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/microplastics-in-sewage-become-hubs-for-drug-resistant-bacteria-study/article34176654.ecetheconversation.com/diphtheria-could-become-a-problem-again-thanks-to-new-variants-and-antimicrobial-resistance-156973en.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-19472e

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-gooBeetle parents manipulate information broadcast from bacteria in a rotting corpse: https://theconversation.com/beetle-parents-manipulate-information-broadcast-from-bacteria-in-a-rotting-corpse-151447Brazilian ant farm yields new antifungal compound: https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2021/01/20/Brazilian-ant-farm-yields-new-antifungal-compound/1471611120400/?ur3=1Seeds transfer their microbes to the next generation

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/featuredJoi Hok Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/joihokTBcampaign/Joi Hok Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joi.hok/?hl=enSreyashi Basu Twitter - https://twitter.com/sreyashibasu2?lang=enwww.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+ Cris

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 suggestsUnderstanding lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosisCheck out the research article in Microbiology and our video about the pig lung research model. Commonly used antibiotic shows promise for combating Zika infectionsCOVID-19 vaccines: when will one be ready?Potential treatment against antibiotic-resistant bacteria causing gonorrhoea and meningitisAsteroid-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.htmhttps://microbiologysociety.org/news/press-releases/does-science-have-a-plastic-problem-microbiologists-take-steps-to-reducing-plastic-waste.htmlhttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/oct/14/tardigrades-latest-superpower-a-fluorescent-protective-shieldhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-54373214https://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-54273172To 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-arcticPhages: the tiny viruses that could help beat superbugs: www.theguardian.com/global-developm…-beat-superbugsIs there life floating in the clouds of Venus?: www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-54133538That mushroom motorcycle jacket will never go out of style: www.nytimes.com/2020/09/16/scienc…email&login=emailMystery elep

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.htmlwww.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/