Skin microbiome of infants, viruses can replace bacteria for proper development of gut anatomy, and Amazon reviews of note.

Human skin microbiome

Evolving Concepts of Neonatal Skin – Carrie C. Coughlin and Alain Taïeb – Pediatric Dermatology

Clinical Approaches to Skin Cleansing of the Diaper Area: Practice and Challenges – Carrie C. Coughlin – Pediatric Dermatology

Psoriasis is not an autoimmune disease? – Lionel Fry – Experimental Dermatology

Animal models of microbiome research

* An enteric virus can replace the beneficial function of commensal bacteria – Elisabeth Kernbauer, Yi Ding & Ken Cadwell – Nature

Microbiology: A backup for bacteria – Yao Wang & Julie K. Pfeiffer – Nature

Animal microbiome

An Experimental Test of whether the Defensive Phenotype of an Aphid Facultative Symbiont Can Respond to Selection within a Host Lineage – Ailsa H.C. McLean – PLOS ONE

Effect of yeast with bacteriocin from rumen bacteria on laying performance, blood biochemistry, faecal microbiota and egg quality of laying hens – H. T. Wang – Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition

* Symbiotic bacteria enable olive flies (Bactrocera oleae) to exploit intractable sources of nitrogen – M. Ben-Yosef – Journal of Evolutionary Biology

Plant microbiome

* Bacterial Endophytic Communities in the Grapevine Depend on Pest Management – Andrea Campisano – PLOS ONE

Metagenomics, transcriptomics

Ecological roles of dominant and rare prokaryotes in acid mine drainage revealed by metagenomics and metatranscriptomics – Zheng-Shuang Hua – ISME Journal

Community transcriptomics reveals unexpected high microbial diversity in acidophilic biofilm communities – Daniela S Aliaga Goltsman – ISME Journal

Ecology

Evolution of species interactions determines microbial community productivity in new environments – Francesca Fiegna – ISME Journal

Microbes in the news

Viruses as a Cure – Carl Zimmer – New York Times

A Lack of Bacteria Can Make You Overweight – Melinda Beck – The Wall Street Journal

Science, publishing and career

* Stereotyping: PhD costume slammed – Nature

* She still needs help from Ken: Amazon reviews trash Barbie computer engineering book – Kevin Allen – Ragan’s PR Daily

Science and Art

This looks more like a genome than a plasmid, but it is pretty: ”Plasmid 29″ – Sandra Culliton – Etsy

Bik’s Picks

A hip-hop state of mind – Akeem Sule, Becky Inkster – The Lancet

 

House Passes Bill That Makes It Harder For Scientists To Advise The EPA – Emily Atkin – Think Progress

Mother’s soothing presence makes pain go away, changes gene activity in infant brain – Science Daily

Science (and Quacks) vs. the Aging Process – Tracey Samuelson – New York Times

Sorting Fact From Fiction and What the Best Science Writing Can Teach Us – Barbara J. King – Time

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