Category Archives: Science and Art

April 27, 2017

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An exploration of fish as an alternative to mice for models of host-microbe interactions, a review on what we can learn from Bacteroides about the gut micriobiome, a news story on successful phage therapy for a multi drug resistant infection.

Human oral microbiome

The human oral microbiome is shaped by shared environment rather than genetics: evidence from a large family of closely-related individuals – Liam Shaw – bioRxiv

Human gut microbiome

* Review: An insider’s perspective: Bacteroides as a window into the microbiome – Aaron G Wexler – Nature Microbiology

Gut Microbiota: Small Molecules Modulate Host Cellular Functions – Jacob M. Luber – Current Biology

Fecal microbial characterization of hospitalized patients with suspected infectious diarrhea shows significant dysbiosis – Tzipi Braun – Scientific Reports

Animal experiments

Supplemental feeding of a gut microbial metabolite of linoleic acid, 10-hydroxy-cis-12-octadecenoic acid, alleviates spontaneous atopic dermatitis and modulates intestinal microbiota in NC/nga mice – Hiroko Kaikiri – International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition

Microbiota-activated CD103+ DCs stemming from microbiota adaptation specifically drive γδT17 proliferation and activation – Chris Flemming – Microbiome

Radiation induces proinflammatory dysbiosis: transmission of inflammatory susceptibility by host cytokine induction – Shiran Gerassy-Vainberg – Gut

Animal microbiome

Tick-Pathogen Interactions and Vector Competence: Identification of Molecular Drivers for Tick-Borne Diseases – José de la Fuente – Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Review: Managing the plant microbiome for biocontrol fungi: examples from Hypocreales – Ryan M Kepler – Current Opinion in Microbiology

Occurrence of perchlorate in groundwater, paired farmland soil, lettuce, and rhizosphere soil from Chengdu, China – Yulu Tang – Environmental Science: Processes & Impact

Water and extremophile microbiome

The Trichodesmium consortium: conserved heterotrophic co-occurrence and genomic signatures of potential interactions – Michael D Lee – The ISME Journal

Bringing methanotrophy in rivers out of the shadows – Felicity Shelley – Limnology and Oceanography

Rainfall increases the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes within a riverine microbial community – Andrea Di Cesare – Environmental Pollution

Impact of selectively enriched microbial communities on long-term fermentative biohydrogen production – R Kanniah Goud – Bioresource Technology

Probiotics/prebiotics

Perspective: Next-generation probiotics: the spectrum from probiotics to live biotherapeutics – Paul W O’Toole – Nature Microbiology

Molecular assessment of the fecal microbiota in healthy cats and dogs before and during supplementation with fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin using high-throughput 454-pyrosequencing – Jose F Garcia-Mazcorro – PeerJ

Bioinformatics

Bioinformatic Approaches Including Predictive Metagenomic Profiling Reveal Characteristics of Bacterial Response to Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contamination in Diverse Environments – Arghya Mukherjee – Scientific Reports

Techniques

Faecal volatile organic compounds analysis using field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry: non-invasive diagnostics in paediatric inflammatory bowel disease – Nora van Gaal – Journal of Breath Research

* Teleosts as Model Organisms to Understand Host-Microbe Interactions – Emily A Lescak – Journal of Bacteriology

Synthetic and analytical strategies for the quantification of phenyl-γ-valerolactone conjugated metabolites in human urine – Nicoletta Brindani – Molecular Nutrition & Food Research

More microbes

Species ecological similarity modulates the importance of colonization history for adaptive radiation – Jiaqi Tan – International Journal of Organic Evolution

Interaction of Bacterial Membrane Vesicles with Specific Species and Their Potential for Delivery to Target Cells – Yosuke Tashiro – Frontiers in Microbiology

Microbes in the news

Phage Therapy Saves Patient from Drug-Resistant Microbes – Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

Chronic fatigue syndrome linked to imbalanced microbiome – EurekAlert

Komodo Dragon Blood Could Become Tool in Fight Against Bacteria – Elizabeth Pratt – Healthline

Researchers move closer to preventing frost damage in vineyards by managing bacteria on the vines – Greg Northcutt – Western FarmPress

Underwater volcano eruptions allow new bacteria to take over seafloor – Lisa-Ann Lee – New Atlas

Microbes on the market

Taconic Biosciences Expands Microbiome Product and Service Platform – GlobeNewswire

Bacteria and art

This Art Exhibition Is Made From Bacteria, Live Insects And Human Sweat – Ryan F Mandelbaum – Gizmodo Australia

Art Made with CRISPR Aims to Raise Awareness of Antibiotic Resistance – Clara Rodríguez Fernández – Labiotech.eu

Amy’s non-microbiology picks

Microscopy: A larger palette for biological imaging – Charles H Camp Jr – Nature

April 19, 2017

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Exciting papers with locoregional effects of microbiota in a mouse model of colon carcinogenesis, maternal high fat diet detrimentally alterring epigenetic and gut microbiome pathways leading to fatty liver disease in mice.

Events and jobs

ASM Microbe 2017 : New Orleans

QC Microbiology Product Testing Associate – Experis : Irvine, CA
General microbiome

Review: Applying the design-build-test paradigm in microbiome engineering – Hoang Long Pham – Current Opinion in Biotechnology

Cohort Profile: African Collaborative Center for Microbiome and Genomics Research’s (ACCME) Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Cervical Cancer Study – Sally N. Adebamowo – International Journal of Epidemiology

Review: Cultured microbes represent a substantial fraction of the human and mouse gut microbiota – Ilias Lagkouvardos – Gut Microbes

Human skin microbiome

A distinct cutaneous microbiota pofile in autoimmune bullous disease patients – Mor Miodovnika – Experimental Dermatology

Human gut microbiome

Review : A psychology of the human brain–gut–microbiome axis – Andrew P. Allen – Social and Personality Psychology Compass

Multivariate modelling of faecal bacterial profiles of patients with IBS predicts responsiveness to a diet low in FODMAPs – Sean M P Bennet – Gut

Animal microbiome

Temporal changes in cutaneous bacterial communities of terrestrial- and aquatic- phase newts (Amphibia) – Joana Sabino-Pinto – Environmental Microbiology

The low diverse gastric microbiome of the jellyfish Cotylorhiza tuberculata is dominated by four novel taxa – Tomeu Viver – Environmental Microbiology

Studying the effect of administration route and treatment dose on the selection of enrofloxacin resistance in commensal Escherichia coli in broilers – Ilias Chantziaras -Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy

The skin microbiome of the Common thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus) has low taxonomic and potential metabolic β-diversity – Michael P. Doane – Environmental Microbiology Reports

Animal experiments

Intestinal, extra-intestinal and systemic sequelae of Toxoplasma gondii induced acute ileitis in mice harboring a human gut microbiota – Eliane von Klitzing – PLOS ONE

Effects of the inclusion of a Bacillus direct-fed microbial on performance parameters, bone quality, recovered gut microflora, and intestinal morphology in broilers consuming a grower diet containing corn distillers dried grains with solubles – J. D. Latorre – Poultry Science

Effect of high-fat diet and growth stage on the diversity and composition of intestinal microbiota in healthy bovine livestock – Shengyin Jiao – Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture

*Locoregional effects of microbiota in a preclinical model of colon carcinogenesis – Sarah Tomkovich – Cancer Research

Selection of Cholesterol-Lowering Lactic Acid Bacteria and its Effects on Rats Fed with High-Cholesterol Diet – Yufang Liu – Current Microbiology

*Enhanced offspring predisposition to steatohepatitis with maternal high-fat diet is associated with epigenetic and microbiome alterations – Umesh D. Wankhade – PLOS ONE

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Archaea and bacteria mediate the effects of native species root loss on fungi during plant invasion – Steven D Mamet- The ISME Journal

An acid-tolerant ammonia-oxidizing γ-proteobacterium from soil – Masahito Hayatsu – The ISME Journal

Investigation of Arsenotrophic Microbiome in Arsenic-Affected Bangladesh Groundwater – Munawar Sultana – Groundwater

Unexpected associated microalgal diversity in the lichen Ramalina farinacea is uncovered by pyrosequencing analyses – Patricia Moya – Plos ONE

Tuber indicum shapes the microbial communities of ectomycorhizosphere soil and ectomycorrhizae of an indigenous tree (Pinus armandii) – Qiang Li – Plos ONE

The ‘known’ genetic potential for microbial communities to degrade organic phosphorus is reduced in low-pH soils – Ian D. E. A. Lidbury – Microbiology Open

Shifting microbial communities sustain multiyear iron reduction and methanogenesis in ferruginous sediment incubations – M. S. Bray – Gebiology

Water and extremophile microbiome

Discovery of anaerobic lithoheterotrophic haloarchaea, ubiquitous in hypersaline habitats – Dimitry Y Sorokin – The ISME Journal

Cultivation and characterization of Candidatus Nitrosocosmicus exaquare, an ammonia-oxidizing archaeon from a municipal wastewater treatment system – Laura A Sauder – The ISME Journal

Minireview: Microbial ecology of mountain glacier ecosystems: Biodiversity, ecological connections, and implications of a warming climate – Scott Hotaling – Environmental Microbiology

Probiotics / prebiotics
Colonic gas homeostasis: Mechanisms of adaptation following HOST-G904 galactooligosaccharide use in humans – M. Mego – Neurogastroenterology and Motility

Techniques

Stochastically reduced communities—Microfluidic compartments as model and investigation tool for soil microorganism growth in structured spaces – Jialan Cao – Engineering in Life Sciences

Protocol : Metagenomics and CAZyme Discovery – Benoit J. Kunath – Protein-Carbohydrate Interactions : Methods in Molecular Biology

The resident microflora of voided midstream urine of healthy controls: standard versus expanded urine culture protocols – L. Coorevits – European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases

Microbes in the news

Study finds amoeba ‘grazing,’ killing bacteria usually protected by film

How Bacteria-Laden Beetle Poop Is Killing American Squash and Melons

Glowing bacteria detect buried landmines

Science, publishing, and career

Saturday, Science Advocates Prepare for a Long March

Anitha’s non-microbiology picks

Research unlocks molecular key to animal evolution and disease

Cumulative culture can emerge from collective intelligence in animal groups – Takao Sasaki – Nature Communications

April 13, 2017

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Profiles of ulcerative colitis patients’ microbiota after fecal microbiota transplantation, a bioinformatics software package for rarefaction analysis, an artist who uses sweat and bacteria to create scents and sculptures.

General microbiome

Review: Microbial metabolites in nutrition, healthcare and agriculture – Rajendra Singh – 3 Biotech

Review: Modified Mediterranean Diet for Enrichment of Short Chain Fatty Acids: Potential Adjunctive Therapeutic to Target Immune and Metabolic Dysfunction in Schizophrenia? – Jamie Joseph – Frontiers in Neuroscience

Human respiratory microbiome

The Nasopharyngeal Microbiota of Children with Respiratory Infections in Botswana – Matthew S Kelly – Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal

Human gut microbiome

* Microbial shifts and signatures of long-term remission in ulcerative colitis after faecal microbiota transplantation – Susana Fuentes – ISME Journal

Intestinal microbiome in children with severe and complicated acute viral gastroenteritis – Shih-Yen Chen – Scientific Reports

Unusual active site location and catalytic apparatus in a glycoside hydrolase family – Jose Munoz-Munoz – PNAS

Animal experiments

Enterococcus faecalis bacteriocin EntV inhibits hyphal morphogenesis, biofilm formation, and virulence of Candida albicans – Carrie E Graham – PNAS

The therapeutic protection of a living and dead Lactobacillus strain against aluminum-induced brain and liver injuries in C57BL/6 mice – Fengwei Tian & Leilei Yu – PLOS One

Microscale spatial analysis provides evidence for adhesive monopolization of dietary nutrients by specific intestinal bacteria – Yusuke Nagara – PLOS One

Review: Caspase recruitment domain 9, microbiota, and tryptophan metabolism: dangerous liaisons in inflammatory bowel diseases – Bruno Lamas – Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care

Individual variation of natural D. melanogaster associated bacterial communities – Yun Wang – bioRxiv

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

A new polyketide glycoside from the rhizospheric Clonostachys rogersoniana associated with Panax notoginseng – Tian-Peng Yin – Journal of Asian Natural Products Research

Bacterial carbon use plasticity, phylogenetic diversity and the priming of soil organic matter – Ember M Morrissey – ISME Journal

Population and function analysis of cultivable bacteria associated with spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Gigaspora margarita – Liangkun Long – 3 Biotech

Water and extremophile microbiome

Exploring the ecological coherence between the spatial and temporal patterns of bacterioplankton in boreal lakes – Juan P. Niño García – Frontiers in Microbiology

Genomic comparisons of a bacterial lineage that inhabits both marine and terrestrial deep subsurface systems – Sean P Jungbluth – PeerJ

Bacterial community composition and dynamics spanning five years in freshwater bog lakes – Alexandra M Linz – bioRxiv

Occurrence of high-diversity metazoan- to microbial-dominated bioconstructions in a shallow Kimmeridgian carbonate ramp (Jabaloyas, Spain) – G San Miguel – Facies

Expression patterns of elemental cycling genes in the Amazon River Plume – Brandon M Satinsky – ISME Journal

Built environment

Comparison of microbial community shifts in two parallel multi-step drinking water treatment processes – Jiajiong Xu – Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

Probiotics/prebiotics

Engineered probiotic Escherichia coli can eliminate and prevent Pseudomonas aeruginosa gut infection in animal models – In Young Hwang – Nature Communications

Review: Unraveling the Differences between Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Probiotics in Modulating Protective Immunity to Enteric Infections – Sukumar Kandasamy – Frontiers in Immunology

Bioinformatics

* RTK: efficient rarefaction analysis of large datasets – Paul Saary – Bioinformatics

A geographically-diverse collection of 418 human gut microbiome pathway genome databases – Aria S Hahn – Scientific Data

Metabolomics

Indolepropionic acid and novel lipid metabolites are associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study – Vanessa D de Mello – Scientific Reports

More microbes

Influences of dissolved oxygen concentration on biocathodic microbial communities in microbial fuel cells – Laura Rago – Bioelectrochemistry

Microbes in the news

Waste-munching bacteria could make nuclear stores safer – Sam Wong – New Scientist

‘Young poo’ makes aged fish live longer – Ewen Callaway – Nature

Microbiology: Gut microbes augment neurodegeneration – Daniel Erny – Nature

* This Artist Turns Sweat and Bacteria Into Art – Annie Tittiger – Wired

Science, publishing, and career

* Why do scientists fabricate and falsify data? A matched-control analysis of papers containing problematic image duplications – Daniele Fanelli – bioRxiv

Amy’s non-microbiology picks

Human knockouts and phenotypic analysis in a cohort with a high rate of consanguinity – Danish Saleheen – Nature

March 30, 2017

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Midgut microbiome of a vector for leishmaniasis, reviews on the human oral microbiome, using microfluidics to visualize live root-bacteria interactions, new open-access publishing project from the Gates Foundation.

General microbiome

Lotka-Volterra pairwise modeling fails to capture diverse pairwise microbial interactions – Babak Moment – eLIFE

Human oral microbiome

Review: Oral Microbiome and Nitric Oxide: the Missing Link in the Management of Blood Pressure – Nathan S. Bryan – Current Hypertension Reports

Review: Microbiota, Immune Subversion, and Chronic Inflammation – Carolyn D Kramer – Frontiers in Microbiology

Human gut microbiome

Highlight: Shaping the gut microbiome from the pancreas – Wei Wong – Science Signaling

Review: Mechanisms and consequences of intestinal dysbiosis – G. Adrienne Weiss – Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences

Animal experiments

Metaproteogenomics Reveals Taxonomic and Functional Changes between Cecal and Fecal Microbiota in Mouse – Alessandro Tanca – Frontiers in Microbiology

Helminth-induced alterations of the gut microbiota exacerbate bacterial colitis – C Su – Mucosal Immunology

Sex-related alterations of gut microbiota composition in the BTBR mouse model of autism spectrum disorder – Lorena Coretti – Scientific Reports

Milk Fat Globule Membrane Supplementation in Formula Modulates the Neonatal Gut Microbiome and Normalizes Intestinal Development – Ganive Bhinder – Scientific Reports

Gut metagenomic analysis reveals prominent roles of Lactobacillus and cecal microbiota in chicken feed efficiency – Wei Yan – Scientific Reports

Animal microbiome

An integrated overview of the midgut bacterial flora composition of Phlebotomus perniciosus, a vector of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis in the Western Mediterranean Basin – Wael Fraihi – PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

* Live imaging of root–bacteria interactions in a microfluidics setup – Hassan Massalha – PNAS

Mechanisms of nitrogen deposition effects on temperate forest lichens and trees – Therese S. Carter – Ecosphere

Research priorities for harnessing plant microbiomes in sustainable agriculture – Posy E Busby – PLOS Biology

Fe plaque-related aquatic uranium retention via rhizofiltration along a redox-state gradient in a natural Phragmites australis Trin ex Steud. wetland – Weqing Wang – Environmental Science and Pollution Research

Functional and phylogenetic diversity of cultivable rhizobacterial endophytes of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] – Venkadasamy Govindasamy – Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

Enhanced growth of halophyte plants in biochar-amended coastal soil: roles of nutrient availability and rhizosphere microbial modulation – Hao Zheng – Plant, Cell & Environment

Water and extremophile microbiome

Metagenomic Analysis of a Complex Community Present in Pond Sediment – Vivek Negi – Journal of Genomics

Probiotics/prebiotics

The preliminary study of prebiotic potential of Polish wild mushroom polysaccharides: the stimulation effect on Lactobacillus strains growth – Renata Nowak – European Journal of Nutrition

Probiotics may delay the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by restoring the gut microbiota structure and improving intestinal endotoxemia – Li Xue – Scientific Reports

Bioinformatics

MIPE: A metagenome-based community structure explorer and SSU primer evaluation tool – Bin Zou – PLOS One

Metabolomics

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry metabolomics of urine and serum from nonhuman primates exposed to ionizing radiation: Impacts on the tricarboxylic acid cycle and protein metabolism – Evan L Pannkuk – Journal of Proteome Research

Techniques

Review: Pretreatment methods of lignocellulosic biomass for anaerobic digestion – Farrukh Raza Amin – AMB Express

Comparison of Standard Culture-Based Method to Culture-Independent Method for Evaluation of Hygiene Effects on the Hand Microbiome – C Zapka – mBio

More microbes

Depleting Mycobacterium tuberculosis of the transcription termination factor Rho causes pervasive transcription and rapid death – Laure Botella – Nature Communications

A Pseudomonas T6SS effector recruits PQS-containing outer membrane vesicles for iron acquisition – Jinshui Lin – Nature Communications

Indole-Induced Activities of β-Lactamase and Efflux Pump Confer Ampicillin Resistance in Pseudomonas putida KT2440 – Jisun Kim – Frontiers in Microbiology

Microbes in the news

Microbiome: Puppy power – Sujata Gupta – Nature (Outlook section)

Biological underpinnings of chronic fatigue syndrome begin to emerge – Amy Maxmen – Nature (News section)

Bacteria from sewage are infecting coral reefs – Elena Motivans – ZME Science

Key research priorities for agricultural microbiomes identified – Phys Org

Viral Bacterial Parasites Called Phages Drive Co-Evolution of Gut Microbiome – MedicalResearch.com

MSU, Shedd Aquarium partnering to create healthier aquatic homes – EurekAlert

Painting with bacteria is a thing and BUGSS will show you how – Stephen Babcock – Technical.ly Baltimore

Microbes on the market

Marrone Bio Innovations and Evogene Advance Novel Bacteria and Related Proteins Beyond Discovery into Insecticidal Product Development Phase – GlobeNewswire – Yahoo!Finance

Science, publishing, and career

* Gates Foundation announces open-access publishing venture – Declan Butler – Nature (News section)

The readability of scientific texts is decreasing over time – Pontus Plavén-Sigray – bioRxiv

Amy’s non-microbiology picks

Iron minerals within specific microfossil morphospecies of the 1.88 Ga Gunflint Formation – Kevin Lepot – Nature Communications

March 9, 2017

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A variety of reviews about the oral microbiome and periodontal disease, a perspective piece on secondary metabolites mediating symbiotic interactions in the new Nature Reviews Chemistry journal, Akkermansia muciniphila’s involvement in host immune homeostasis, new insight into how raindrops disperse bacteria from soil into the air.

General microbiome

* Perspective: Hijacking exogenous signals to generate new secondary metabolites during symbiotic interactions – Rurun Wang – Nature Reviews Chemistry

Cooperation of Gastric Mononuclear Phagocytes with Helicobacter pylori during Colonization – Monica Viladomiu – Journal of Immunology

Human respiratory microbiome

Longitudinal sampling of the lung microbiota in individuals with cystic fibrosis – Fiona J. Whelan – PLoS ONE

Human oral microbiome

Review: Role of microbial communities in the pathogenesis of periodontal diseases and caries – Alex Mira – Journal of Clinical Periodontology

Review: Dental biofilm: ecological interactions in health and disease – P. D. Marsh – Journal of Clinical Periodontology

Review: The oral cavity microbiota: between health, oral disease and cancers of the aerodigestive tract – Pierre Le Bars – Canadian Journal of Microbiology

A new mathematical model of bacterial interactions in two-species oral biofilms – Bénédicte Martin – PLoS ONE

Human urinary microbiome

Alterations of Urinary Microbiota in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus with Hypertension and/or Hyperlipidemia – Fengping Liu – Frontiers in Physiology

Human gut microbiome

Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Metabolic and Gut Microbiota Profile: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis – Dimitrios E. Magouliotis – Obesity Surgery

Commensal gut bacteria modulate phosphorylation-dependent PPARγ transcriptional activity in human intestinal epithelial cells – Malgorzata Nepelska – Scientific Reports

* Pili-like proteins of Akkermansia muciniphila modulate host immune responses and gut barrier function – Noora Ottman – PLoS ONE

Altered intestinal microbiota in patients with chronic pancreatitis: implications in diabetes and metabolic abnormalities – Sai Manasa Jandhyala – Scientific Reports

Disease-Associated Changes in Bile Acid Profiles and Links to Altered Gut Microbiota – Susan A. Joyce – Digestive Diseases

One-year calorie restriction impacts gut microbial composition but not its metabolic performance in obese adolescents – Alicia Ruiz – Environmental Microbiology

Dysbiosis of Gut Microbiota Associated with Clinical Parameters in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome – Rui Liu – Frontiers in Microbiology

Animal experiments

Bifidobacterium breve with α-linolenic acid alters the composition, distribution and transcription factor activity associated with metabolism and absorption of fat – Elaine Patterson – Scientific Reports

Exploring gastric bacterial community in young pigs – Vincenzo Motta – PLoS ONE

Animal microbiome

Parasitism perturbs the mucosal microbiome of Atlantic Salmon – M. S. Llewellyn – Scientific Reports

The microbiome composition of Aedes aegypti is not critical for Wolbachia-mediated inhibition of dengue virus – Michelle D. Audsley – PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Endosymbiotic calcifying bacteria across sponge species and oceans – Leire Garate – Scientific Reports

Bacterial communities associated with Shinkaia crosnieri from the Iheya North, Okinawa Trough: Microbial diversity and metabolic potentials – Jian Zhang – Journal of Marine Systems

Diet affects arctic ground squirrel gut microbial metatranscriptome independent of community structure – Jasmine J. Hatton – Environmental Microbiology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Microbial Communities as Environmental Indicators of Ecological Disturbance in Restored Carbonate Fen-Results of 10 Years of Studies – Tomasz Mieczan – Microbial Ecology

Rhizospheric microbial community of Caesalpinia spinosa (Mol.) Kuntze in conserved and deforested zones of the Atiquipa fog forest in Peru – Irene Cordero – Applied Soil Ecology

Abundance and diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria in the rhizosphere soil of three plants in the Ebinur Lake wetland – Yuan He – Canadian Journal of Microbiology

Alphaproteobacteria fix nitrogen in a Sphagnum-dominated peat bog using molybdenum-dependent nitrogenase – Melissa J. Warren – bioRxiv

Water and extremophile microbiome

Quantifying the importance of the rare biosphere for microbial community response to organic pollutants in a freshwater ecosystem – Yuanqi Wang – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Comparison of Prokaryotic Diversity in Cold, Oligotrophic Remote Lakes of Chilean Patagonia – Paulina Aguayo – Current Microbiology

Plasmid DNA analysis of pristine groundwater microbial communities reveal extensive presence of metal resistance genes – Ankita Kothari – bioRxiv

Food microbiology

Characterization of microbial population of breba and main crops (Ficus carica) during cold storage: Influence of passive modified atmospheres (MAP) and antimicrobial extract application – María del Carmen Villalobos – Food Microbiology

Genetic diversity, safety and technological characterization of lactic acid bacteria isolated from artisanal Pico cheese – M. F. P. Domingos-Lopes – Food Microbiology

Probiotics/prebiotics

A proliferative probiotic Bifidobacterium strain in the gut ameliorates progression of metabolic disorders via microbiota modulation and acetate elevation – Ryo Aoki – Scientific Reports

More microbes

* Bioaerosol generation by raindrops on soil – Young Soo Joung – Nature Communications

Cooperation in carbon source degradation shapes spatial self-organization of microbial consortia on hydrated surfaces – Robin Tecon – Scientific Reports

Microbes in the news

The ‘Dark Matter’ of the Microbial World – Sarah Zhang – The Atlantic

Scientists Make Art From Objects Invisible to the Naked Eye – Marissa Fessenden – Smithsonian

March 1, 2017

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Today’s digest features interesting reviews on the tole of gut microbiota in chronic kidney disease, and biotoxicity of soils from Mars. Impact of altered gut microbiota on bone strength in mice. Enjoy!

Events and jobs

Technical Service Representative (Microbiology) – ThermoFisher Scientific – Lenexa, Kansas

General microbiome

Review: Microbe social skill: the cell-to-cell communication between microorganisms – Xi Zhao – Science Bulletin

Review: Creating new business, economic growth and regional prosperity through microbiome-based products in the agriculture industry – Brajesh K. Singh – Microbial Biotechnology

Review: The link between inflammation, bugs, the intestine and the brain in alcohol dependence – S Leclercq – Translational Psychiatry

Editorial: The human microbiome: an emerging tool in forensics – Jarrad T. Hampton-Marcell – Microbial Biotechnology

Systematic Characterization and Analysis of the Taxonomic Drivers of Functional Shifts in the Human Microbiome – Ohad Manor – Cell Host and Microbe

Pregnancy and early life

Review: Transfer of maternal psychosocial stress to the fetus – Florian Rakers – Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

Vaginal microbiome

Survival of vaginal microorganisms in three commercially available transport systems – Allison L. DeMarco – Anaerobe

Human skin microbiome

Review: Towards personalized modification of microbial imbalances – J.E.E. Totté – British Journal of Dermatology

Human gut microbiome

Review: Meta-analysis of the human gut microbiome from urbanized and pre-agricultural populations – Leonardo Mancabelli – Environmental Microbiology

*Review: Gut microbiota in chronic kidney disease – Secundino Cigarran Guldris – Nefrología (English Edition)

Review: The clinical value of breath hydrogen testing – Chu K Yao – Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Commentary: Atopic dermatitis and gut microbiota – M. Lindberg – British Journal of Dermatology

Animal experiments

SYN-004 (ribaxamase), an Oral Beta-Lactamase, Mitigates Antibiotic-Mediated Dysbiosis in a Porcine Gut Microbiome Model – Sheila Connelly – Journal of Applied Microbiology

*Alterations to the Gut Microbiome Impair Bone Strength and Tissue Material Properties – Jason D Guss – Journal of Bone and Mineral Research

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

*Biotoxicity of Mars Soils: 2. Survival of Bacillus subtilis and Enterococcus faecalis in Aqueous Extracts Derived from Six Mars Analog Soils – Andrew C. Schuerger – Icarus

Food microbiology

Polyphenolic extracts of cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) and blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) leaves as natural preservatives in meat products – Agnieszka Nowak – Food Microbiology

Probiotics / prebiotics

Effects of synbiotic supplementation on growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality and muscular antioxidant capacity and mineral contents in broilers – Yefei Cheng – Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture

GH11 xylanase increases prebiotic oligosaccharides from wheat bran favouring butyrate-producing bacteria in vitro – Jonas Laukkonen Ravn – Animal Feed Science and Technology

Effects of Bacillus subtilis strains and the prebiotic Previda® on growth, immune parameters and susceptibility to Aeromonas hydrophila infection in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus – Samuel Addo – Aquaculture Research

Enhancing growth and resistance to Vibrio alginolyticus disease in catarina scallop (Argopecten ventricosus) with Bacillus and Lactobacillus probiotic strains during early development – Fernando Abasolo-Pacheco – Aquaculture Research

The association of a probiotic with a prebiotic (Flortec, Bracco) to improve the quality/quantity of spermatozoa in infertile patients with idiopathic oligoasthenoteratospermia: a pilot study – C. Maretti – Andrology

In vitro fermentation of oat β-glucan and hydrolysates by fecal microbiota and selected probiotic strains – Dong Ji-lin – Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture

Microbes in the news 

WHO: These 12 bacteria pose greatest risk to human health

A Bizarre Bacteria Could Be the Key to Controlling Mosquitoes

Flesh-eating bugs lurking on ATMs and killer bacteria found on phones

Microbes on the market 

Proof-of-Concept Study Published in Clinical Microbiology and Infection Reports the Benefit of PathoQuest NGS-Based Metagenomics Test to Identify Clinically-Relevant Pathogens in Immunocompromised Patients Suspected of Infection

Anitha’s non-microbiology picks

Glass Microbiology at the At-Bristol Science Centre

Mysterious ‘Cosmic’ Jellyfish Spotted in Remote Ocean Depths

Unity Biotechnology: Investment In A Long And Healthy Life Becoming Possible

February 27, 2017

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The ‘horseshoe effect’ in analyzing microbial niches; fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in immunocompromised individuals; effects of long-term ceftriaxone sodium administration on gut microbiota diversity; DNA extraction bias in soil microbial community analysis; and a multistrain probiotic clinical trial in NAFLD.

Events and jobs

Postdoctoral Fellow in Microbiology – University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN

QC Microbiology Analyst – Leidos – Frederick, MD

General microbiome
Uncovering the Horseshoe Effect in Microbial Analyses – James T. Morton – mSystems

Pregnancy and early life
Microbiome, autoimmunity, allergy, and helminth infection: The importance of the pregnancy period – Xian Chen – American Journal of Reproductive Immunology

Implications of intrapartum azithromycin on neonatal microbiota – Jenny Mei – The Lancet Infectious Diseases

Human respiratory microbiome
Restoring CFTR Function Reduces Airway Bacteria and Inflammation in People With Cystic Fibrosis and Chronic Lung Infections – Katherine B. Hisert – American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

Microbiome of the Lung in Patient with Idiopathic Pneumonia Syndrome (IPS) after HCT – Sachiko Seo – Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation

Oral and nasal microbiota in Parkinson’s disease – Pedro A.B. Pereira – Parkinsonism & Related Disorders

Human skin microbiome
N-acetylcysteine inhibits growth, adhesion and biofilm formation of Gram-positive skin pathogens – Daria Eroshenko – Microbial Pathogenesis

Human vaginal microbiome
Olegusella massiliensis gen. nov., sp. nov., strain KHD7T, a new bacterial genus isolated from the female genital tract of a patient with bacterial vaginosis – Khoudia Diop – Anaerobe

Bacterial species colonizing the vagina of healthy women are not associated with race – May A. Beamer – Anaerobe

The influence of sexual activity on the vaginal microbiota and Gardnerella vaginalis clade diversity in young women – Vodstrcil LA – PLoS One

Human gut microbiome
Long-term taxonomic and functional divergence from donor bacterial strains following fecal microbiota transplantation in immunocompromised patients – Eli Moss – bioRxiv

Long-term use of ceftriaxone sodium induced changes in gut microbiota and immune system – Yanjie Guo – Scientific Reports

Two dynamic regimes in the human gut microbiome – Sean M. Gibbons – PLoS Computational Biology

Review: The gut microbiome in human neurological disease: A review – Helen Tremlett – Annals of Neurology

The Effects of Moderate Whole Grain Consumption on Fasting Glucose and Lipids, Gastrointestinal Symptoms, and Microbiota – Danielle N. Cooper – Nutrients

Gut microbial profile is altered in primary biliary cholangitis and partially restored after UDCA therapy – Ruqi Tang – Gut

Randomised clinical trial: faecal microbiota transplantation for recurrent Clostridum difficile infection – fresh, or frozen, or lyophilised microbiota from a small pool of healthy donors delivered by colonoscopy – Z. D. Jiang – Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics

Gut microbiota and systemic inflammation changes after bread consumption: The ingredients and the processing influence – Maykel Arias – Journal of Functional Foods

Review: Gut microbiome-based medical methodologies for early-stage disease prevention – Jing-Zhang Wong – Microbial Pathogenesis

The dual role of short fatty acid chains in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease models – Mizuno M – PLoS One

Giardia duodenalis induces dysbiosis of human intestinal microbiota biofilms – Jennifer K. Beatty – International Journal for Parasitology

Animal experiments
Apple Polysaccharide inhibits microbial dysbiosis and chronic inflammation and modulates gut permeability in HFD-fed rats – Sheng Wang – International Journal of Biological Macromolecules

Animal microbiome
Metatranscriptomic profiling reveals linkages between the active rumen microbiome and feed efficiency in beef cattle – Fuyong Li – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome
Review: Genomic dissection of host–microbe and microbe–microbe interactions for advanced plant breeding – Samuel Kroll – Current Opinion in Plant Biology

Differential sharing and distinct co-occurrence networks among spatially close bacterial microbiota of bark, mosses and lichens‬‬ – Ines Aline Aschenbrenner – Molecular Ecology

The choice of the DNA extraction method may influence the outcome of the soil microbial community structure analysis – Sylwia Zielińska – Microbiology Open

High-resolution sequencing reveals unexplored archaeal diversity in freshwater wetland soils – Adrienne B. Narrowe – Environmental Microbiology

A comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of copper transporting P1B ATPases from bacteria of the Rhizobiales order uncovers multiplicity, diversity and novel taxonomic subtypes – Ciro Cubillas – Microbiology Open

Host-parasite-bacteria triangle: the microbiome of the parasitic weed Phelipanche aegyptiaca and tomato-Solanum lycopersicum (Mill.) as a host – Lilach Iasur Kruh – Frontiers in Plant Science

Diversity of root-associated fungi of Vaccinium mandarinorum along a human disturbance gradient in subtropical forests, China – Yanhua Zhang – Journal of Plant Ecology

Loss of soil microbial diversity may increase insecticide uptake by crop – Min Zhang – Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

The presence of aggressive ants is associated with insect visits to coffee flowers and floral microbe communities – Rachel L. Vannette – Basic and Applied Ecology

Metagenomic assessment of methane production-oxidation and nitrogen metabolism of long term manured systems in lowland rice paddy – P. Bhattacharyya – Science of the Total Environment

The Introduction of Woody Plants For Freshwater Wetland Restoration Alters The Archaeal Community Structure in Soil – Xiao-Yan Liu – Land Degradation & Development

A distinctive root-inhabiting denitrifying community with high N2O/(N2O+N2) product ratio – Chao Ai – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Plant cultivars imprint the rhizosphere bacterial community composition and association networks – Yuji Jiang – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Structural variability and niche differentiation in the rhizosphere and endosphere bacterial microbiome of field-grown poplar trees – Bram Beckers – Microbiome

Water and extremophile microbiome
Development of a prototype 16S rRNA gene-based microarray for monitoring planktonic actinobacteria in shrimp ponds – Jingjing Wang – International Aquatic Research

Serpentinization-influenced groundwater harbors extremely low diversity microbial communities adapted to high pH – Katrina I. Twing – Frontiers in Microbiology

Cold adaptation of the Antarctic haloarchaea Halohasta litchfieldiae and Halorubrum lacusprofundi – Timothy J. Williams – Environmental Microbiology

Diversity of crude oil-degrading bacteria and alkane hydroxylase (alkB) genes from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau – Haozhi Long – Environmental Monitoring and Assessment

Ubiquitous and persistent Proteobacteria and other Gram-negative bacteria in drinking water – Ivone Vaz-Moreira – Science of the Total Environment

Acidicapsa ferrireducens sp. nov., Acidicapsa acidiphila sp. nov., and Granulicella acidiphila sp. nov.: novel acidobacteria isolated from metal-rich acidic waters – Carmen Falagán – Extremophiles

Synthetic extreme environments: overlooked sources of potential biotechnologically relevant microorganisms – Timothy Sibanda – Microbial Biotechnology

Acinetobacter halotolerans sp. nov., a novel halotolerant, alkalitolerant, and hydrocarbon degrading bacterium, isolated from soil – Ram Hari Dahal – Arhives of Microbiology

Physiological and comparative genomic analysis of Acidithiobacillus ferrivorans PQ33 provides psychrotolerant fitness evidence for oxidation at low temperature – Robert Ccorahua-Santo – Research in Microbiology

Genome-resolved metagenomics of a bioremediation system for degradation of thiocyanate in mine water containing suspended solid tailings – Sumayah F. Rahman – Microbiology Open

Food microbiology
Nondairy beverage produced by controlled fermentation with potential probiotic starter cultures of lactic acid bacteria and yeast – Ana Luiza Freire – International Journal of Food Microbiology

Probiotics / prebiotics
Targeting the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis: Prebiotics Have Anxiolytic and Antidepressant-like Effects and Reverse the Impact of Chronic Stress in Mice – Aurelijus Burokas – Biological Psychiatry

Review: Clinical effects of probiotics in cystic fibrosis patients: A systematic review – Stephanie Van Biervliet – Clinical Nutrition ESPEN

Effects of Multistrain Probiotic Supplementation on Glycemic and Inflammatory Indices in Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial – Abbaszadeh Sepideh – Journal of the American College of Nutrition

Microbes in the news
Glass Microbiology at the At-Bristol Science Centre – Culture Calling

Bacteria And Babies: A Scientific Debate – Part One – American Council on Science and Health

Reference: Delivery mode shapes the acquisition and structure of the initial microbiota across multiple body habitats in newborns – Maria G. Dominguez-Bello – PNAS

February 24, 2017

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Bioassay-guided metabolomics reveal new polyketide macrolactams from termite-associated actinomycete, the microbiota affects host antibody repertoire, artist makes agar molds of her face and grows bacteria on them, the fecal microbiota of Old World vultures.

Events and jobs

“Research Instructor – Microbiology & Immunology” at the Medical University of South Carolina

General microbiome

Review: Carcinogenesis and therapeutics: the microbiota perspective – Matthew C. B. Tsilimigras – Nature Microbiology

Pregnancy and early life

Review: Microbiome, autoimmunity, allergy, and helminth infection: The importance of the pregnancy period – Xian Chen – American Journal of Reproductive Immunology

Impact of microbial invasion of amniotic cavity and the type of microorganisms on short-term neonatal outcome in women with preterm labor and intact membranes – Teresa Cobo – Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica

Human oral microbiome

Betel nut chewing, oral premalignant lesions, and the oral microbiome – Brenda Y. Hernandez – PLOS One

Human gut microbiome

Review: Gut Microbiota: A Potential Regulator of Neurodevelopment – Paola Tognini – Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience

New evidences on the altered gut microbiota in autism spectrum disorders – Francesco Strati – Microbiome

Massilioclostridium coli gen. nov., sp. nov., a new member of the Clostridiaceae family isolated from the left colon of a 27-year-old woman – C. I. Lo – New Microbes and New Infections

Impact of humic acids on the colonic microbiome in healthy volunteers – Alexander Swidsinski – World Journal of Gastroenterology

Animal experiments

* IgD class switching is initiated by microbiota and limited to mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue in mice – Jin Huk Choi – PNAS

An Intestinal Farnesoid X Receptor-Ceramide Signaling Axis Modulates Hepatic Gluconeogenesis in Mice – Cen Xie – Diabetes

Effects of xylanase supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood parameters, fecal microbiota, fecal score and fecal noxious gas emission of weaning pigs fed corn-soybean meal-based diet – Ruixia Lan – Animal Science Journal

Animal microbiome

Assessment of Ruminal Bacterial and Archaeal Community Structure in Yak (Bos grunniens) – Zhenming Zhou – Frontiers in Microbiology

Changes in Metabolically Active Bacterial Community during Rumen Development, and Their Alteration by Rhubarb Root Powder Revealed by 16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing – Zuo Wang – Frontiers in Microbiology

Metataxonomics reveal vultures as a reservoir for Clostridium perfringens – Xiangli Meng – Emerging Microbes and Infections

The fecal microbiome of dogs with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency – Anitha Isaiah – Anaerobe

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Host-parasite-bacteria triangle: the microbiome of the parasitic weed Phelipanche aegyptiaca and tomato-Solanum lycopersicum (Mill.) as a host – Lilach Iasur Kruh – Frontiers in Plant Science

Diversity of root-associated fungi of Vaccinium mandarinorum along a human disturbance gradient in subtropical forests, China – Yanhua Zhang – Journal of Plant Ecology

Effects of long-term heavy metals contamination on soil microbial characteristics in calcareous agricultural lands (Saiss plain, North Morocco) – A. Kouchou – Journal of Materials and Environmental Sciences

Global transcriptional response to salt shock of the plant microsymbiont Mesorhizobium loti MAFF303099 – Marta Laranjo – Research in Microbiology

Novosphingobium pokkalii sp nov, a novel rhizosphere-associated bacterium with plant beneficial properties isolated from saline-tolerant pokkali rice – Ramya Krishnan – Research in Microbiology

Assembly patterns of soil-dwelling lichens after glacier retreat in the European Alps – Juri Nascimbene – Journal of Biogeography

Soil classification predicts differences in prokaryotic communities across a range of geographically distant soils once pH is accounted for – Rachel Kaminsky – bioRxiv

Water and extremophile microbiome

Different types of diatom-derived extracellular polymeric substances drive changes in heterotrophic bacterial communities from intertidal sediments – Julio Bohorquez – Frontiers in Microbiology

Broadcast Spawning Coral Mussismilia hispida Can Vertically Transfer its Associated Bacterial Core – Deborah C. A. Leite – Frontiers in Microbiology

Built environment

Microbial diversity of a full-scale UASB reactor applied to poultry slaughterhouse wastewater treatment: integration of 16S rRNA gene amplicon and shotgun metagenomic sequencing – Tiago Palladino Delforno – MicrobiologyOpen

Metabolomics

* Macrotermycins A−D, Glycosylated Macrolactams from a Termite- Associated Amycolatopsis sp. M39 – Christine Beemelmanns – Organic Letters

compMS2Miner: an automatable metabolite identification, visualization and data-sharing R package for high-resolution LC-MS datasets – William Matthew Bell Edmands – Analytical Chemistry

More microbes

Indole production provides limited benefit to Escherichia coli during co-culture with Enterococcus faecalis – Shelly L. Pringle – Archives of Microbiology

Microbes in the news

* Art Grows on You – Lara Medlam – Nouse

Beware! Are bacteria raising your oxidative stress? – Purna Kashyap – Science Translational Medicine

Microbes on the market

Finch Therapeutics Announces Strategic Collaboration with OpenBiome to Develop Microbiome Therapies for FDA Approval – Business Wire

Microbes and art: Vik Muniz, Ori Elisar, Mobis Artis, Micro-ritmos, and more

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Mobis Artis

Of microbes and machines: how art and science fuse in Bio-art – Sean Redmond and Darrin Sean Verhagen – The Conversation

“There is science in art – the alchemy of paint, the binary codes computing away in a camera, the expressive anatomy in portraiture and sculpture. There is art in science – the artistic precision of the scalpel, the cool aesthetics of the laboratory, and the intimate observations undertaken by scientists to discover new materials and microbes living unseen in the world.”

Morbis Artis: Diseases of the Arts – RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. November 2016 – February 2017

“Morbis Artis explores the radical conjunction between the biomolecular and the artistic, and the thin doorway between life and death housed within discourses of disease. What constitutes life, what counts as a sentient being, and who gets to determine what lives are saved, punished, exploited and destroyed? Composed of eleven separate but connected installation works, Morbis Artis explores the question of organic life through particular artistic lenses, each taking on the moniker of disease to represent and embody the issues that challenge bare life today.”

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Raspberri Pi art: Micro-ritmos
Bacteria sing: Biology Synth Micro-Ritmos. Micro-ritmos is a musical instrument that automatically generates songs based on biology – RaspberryPi – The MagPi Magazin

“Micro-ritmos is a biology musical instrument that automatically generates songs based on the movement of bacteria cells. Raspberry Pi is used to observe the patterns formed in a bacterial cell. Their movements are transformed into audio noises.With Micro-ritmos you can hear bacteria singing. (…) The team behind the Micro-ritmos is Mexican. They are Paloma López, Leslie Garcia and Emmanuel Anguiano. The team is called Interspecfics.”

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Installation uses Geobacter bacteria and Raspberry Pi to generate music

Pseudomonas in the shape of New Zealand
Scientists use bacteria to map out NZ – News.com.au

“Producing what looks like a satellite picture at first glance, the Victoria University of Wellington researchers grew green bacteria in the shape of New Zealand’s land mass and blue bacteria to resemble the surrounding ocean. The fascinating image appeared on international science journal Cell Chemical Biology’s front cover and drew attention to the need to engineer better antibiotics.”

Cell Chemical Biology Volume 23, Issue 11– November 2016

“The cover image is a map of New Zealand drawn with pyoverdine-producing P. aeruginosa cells in an ocean of indigoidine-synthesizing E. coli. Cover credit: artwork by Mark Calcott, based on a concept from David Ackerley.”

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Cell Chemical Biology Volume 23, Number 11 Issue Cover

On a different note, there is a hilarious website called “World Maps without New Zealand”

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“I wonder what that could be”

Vik Muniz

Visual artist Vik Muniz shows ‘continuous invention’, uses of ordinary objects in art – Columbia Chronicle

“During the last Lecture in Photography event of the semester, audience members were able to watch world-renowned visual artist Vik Muniz’s discuss his use of ordinary materials like sugar, chocolate, thread and bacteria to “draw” various subjects. (…) During the Nov. 16 event, Muniz, who has had work displayed in New York City, London and Hong Kong, talked about the meaning of art, his early career as an artist and the multiple series of work he has created.

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Vik Muniz’ bacteria portrait – Source: The Creators Project

Ori Elisar: Living Language

Teaching Bacteria to make Living, Evolving Typography – Clara Rodriguez Fernández – Labiotech

“Ori Elisar is an Israeli artist working on Biodesign. His globally-acclaimed project uses bacteria to create living typography that changes over time to represent the evolution of the Hebrew language. The Living Language project uses Paenibacillus vortex bacteria to create living typography. To represent the evolution of the Hebrew language, the artist makes bacteria grow from ancient paleo letter forms to the shapes of the modern alphabet. The experiments were carried out in the microbiology laboratory at Tel Aviv University.”

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Microbes and art: van Dongen, Parreno, Park and more.

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Electricity-Free Lamp Is Powered by Octopus Bacteria – Dutch designer Teresa Van Dongen has merged design and biology in her new project – Kiran Umapathy – PSFK

“Electricity? So passé. Dutch designer Teresa van Dongen dared to combine biology with the technology by creating an electricity-free lamp—the Ambio—that runs on octopus bacteria.  “

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The Ambio lamp is filled with living bioluminescent bacteria. Source: PSFK.com

An artwork controlled by a colony of bacteria – Aaron Souppouris – Engadget

“Anywhen is an immersive artwork by French avant-garde artist Philippe Parreno. (…) It features an ever-changing mix of sound, light and shadow, augmented by fish-shaped balloons, a transforming array of suspended speakers and a cinema that seemingly appears at random. Except, it’s not random. The individual elements of Anywhen are at the whim of bacteria.”

An art of loopholes. How the French artist Philippe Parreno studiously avoids having ideas – Emily Nathan  – The New Yorker

“I want to turn the museum into a similar kind of instrument, a weird hybrid made out of light and recorded sound and bacteria and acoustic panels, with sequences and motifs that recur and retreat,” he said. “Unless you want to spend eight hours there, you will definitely miss something. But that’s part of it, no? You always miss something in life.”

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Philippe Pareno’s “Anywhen”, an exhibition controlled by bacteria. Source: Engadget.com.

This Scientist crystallises Bacteria for Stained Glass and Lace! – Evelyn Warner – Labiotech

“Simon Park is a scientist who wants to teach us about the microbiome through his art. Among his works are a self-portrait, lace and stained glass, all of which have been produced from bacteria! (…) Through his art, he aims to draw our attention to them and make them more familiar. (The apotheosis of the latter is his self-portrait from his own microbial flora!) “

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Bacterial Stained Glass by Simon Park. Source: Labiotech.eu.

Belowground visions of life: Soil makes Art – Global Soil Biodiversity

“How can soil biodiversity scientists share their knowledge with the public? Art is the answer given by “Belowground visions of life: Soil makes Art”, a project funded by the Leverhulme Trust in the UK. This project supports an artist in residence, Ed Reynolds, working with Dr Tancredi Caruso, soil ecologist at the School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast.”

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Original artwork by Ed Reynolds. Source: Global Soil Biodiversity.com

Microbial Awards Season in Biology 350! – Mark O. Martin – Microbes Rule

“Who knows if I can change lives? I do know that I can change the way my students view the world, using “microbial-colored glasses.” I also believe that art can intersect with science, often in ways that enhance learning. This semester, I had my Biology 350 micronauts try it two different ways, with (hopefully) some success. First, the Vexed Muddler and I cooked up a #MicrobialArt competition.”

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Josh’s art won First Prize: unfair and inaccurate assumptions about the microbial world.

“That was a heck of a #MicrobialMorning, but there was more to come. That’s right: it was then time for the #LuxAcademyAwards! Earlier this semester, I had students create “microbial art” by “painting” with luminous bacteria (Photobacterium leignothi) on Petri dishes. I then wanted folks across the Internet to vote on their favorites, and distribute yet more #MicrobialSwag to lucky #MicrobialArtists!”

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Molly created #LuxArt2016 4th place winner.

Bacteria-Inspired Art Infects a Chelsea Gallery – Andrew Nunes — The Creators Project

“Bacteria are more than just the building blocks of microorganisms in art collective Slavs and Tatars’ latest exhibition at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. Titled Afteur Pasteur, an homage to the microbiologist who discovered microbial fermentation and pasteurization, the exhibition uses references to bacteria and microbes as unlikely lenses to examine larger cultural and historical ideas. (…) A fully functional ‘bacteria bar’ serves the yogurt drink ayran (sorry, there’s no kombucha here) allowing visitors to ingest a constituent life form while perusing the remaining works.”

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Ayran bar, Slavs and Tatars, 2016. Source: The Creators Project.