Tag Archives: pregnancy

August 28, 2024

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Human gut microbiome

[REVIEW] Feeding gut microbes to nourish the brain: unravelling the diet–microbiota–gut–brain axis – Elizabeth Schneider et al – Nature Metabolism

Elucidating human gut microbiota interactions that robustly inhibit diverse Clostridioides difficile strains across different nutrient landscapes – Jordy Evan Sulaiman et al – Nature Communications

Fecal microbiota transplantation influences microbiota without connection to symptom relief in irritable bowel syndrome patients – Anna K. Hartikainen et al – NPJ Biofilms & Microbiomes

Impact of probiotics on gut microbiome of extremely preterm or extremely low birthweight infants – Lauren C. Beck et al – Nature Pediatric Research

Effect of Helicobacter pylori on sleeve gastrectomy and gastric microbiome differences in patients with obesity and diabetes – Yong Suk Park et al – International Journal of Obesity

Mining human microbiomes reveals an untapped source of peptide antibiotics – Marcelo D.T. Torres et al – Cell

Both pathogen and host dynamically adapt pH responses along the intestinal tract during enteric bacterial infection – Sarah E. Woodward et al – PLOS Biology

Examination of sex-specific interactions between gut microbiota and host metabolism after 12-week combined polyphenol supplementation in individuals with overweight or obesity – Kelly M. Jardon et al – Gut Microbes

Human vaginal microbiome

The potential of residual clinical Group B Streptococcus swabs for assessing the vaginorectal microbiome in late pregnancy – Laura K. Boelsen et al – Scientific Reports

Animal models

Sex-dependent effects of a high fat diet on metabolic disorders, intestinal barrier function and gut microbiota in mouse – Candice Lefebvre et al – Scientific Reports

Animal microbiome

16S rRNA metabarcoding for the identification of tick-borne bacteria in ticks in the Republic of Korea – Badriah Alkathiri et al – Scientific Reports

The bacterial microbiome and resistome of house dust mites in Irish homes – Amal Aljohani et al – Scientific Reports

Social environment influences microbiota and potentially pathogenic bacterial communities on the skin of developing birds – Ester Martínez-Renau – BMC Animal Microbiome

16S amplicon-based microbiome biomapping of a commercial broiler hatchery – Michael J. Rothrock Jr. et al – BMC Animal Microbiome

Phages & viruses

[REVIEW] Renewed insights into Ackermannviridae phage biology and applications – Anders Nørgaard Sørensen & Lone Brøndsted – NPJ Viruses

Adaptation strategies of giant viruses to low-temperature marine ecosystems – Marianne Buscaglia et al – ISME Journal

Targeted viromes and total metagenomes capture distinct components of bee gut phage communities – Dino Lorenzo Sbardellati et al – BMC Microbiome

Plant, root & soil microbiome

Soil health is associated with higher primary productivity across Europe – Ferran Romero et al – Nature Ecology & Evolution

Pathogen-driven Pseudomonas reshaped the phyllosphere microbiome in combination with Pseudostellaria heterophylla foliar disease resistance via the release of volatile organic compounds – Qing-Song Yuan et al – BMC Environmental Microbiome

Water & extremophile microbiome

Impact of temperature and water source on drinking water microbiome during distribution in a pilot-scale study – Fien Waegenaar et al – NPJ Clean Water

Metagenomics analysis of sewage for surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in South Africa – Anthony M. Smith et al – PLOS One

Nitrite-oxidizing bacteria adapted to low oxygen conditions dominate nitrite oxidation in marine oxygen minimum zones – Samantha G Fortin et al – ISME Journal

Niche separation in bacterial communities and activities in porewater, loosely attached, and firmly attached fractions in permeable surface sediments – Chyrene Moncada et al – ISME Journal

Microbial assemblages and associated biogeochemical processes in Lake Bonney, a permanently ice-covered lake in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica – Hanbyul Lee et al – BMC Environmental Microbiome

Tools & methods

Intestinal organ chips for disease modelling and personalized medicine – Alican Özkan et al – Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology

MICROPHERRET: MICRObial PHEnotypic tRait ClassifieR using Machine lEarning Techniques – Edoardo Bizzotto et al – BMC Environmental Microbiome

refMLST: reference-based multilocus sequence typing enables universal bacterial typing – Mondher Khdhiri et al – BMC Bioinformatics

Smccnet 2.0: a comprehensive tool for multi-omics network inference with shiny visualization – Weixian Liu et al – BMC Bioinformatics

August 14, 2024

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Human microbiome

Major depletion of insulin sensitivity-associated taxa in the gut microbiome of persons living with HIV controlled by antiretroviral drugs – Eugeni Belda et al – BMC Medical Genomics

The impact of breastfeeding on the preterm infant’s microbiome and metabolome: a pilot study – Keriann Schulkers Escalante et al – Nature Pediatric Research

[REVIEW] The human microbiome in space: parallels between Earth-based dysbiosis, implications for long-duration spaceflight, and possible mitigation strategies – Sofia Etlin et al – Clinical Microbiology Reviews

MASS cohort: Multicenter, longitudinal, and prospective study of the role of microbiome in severe pneumonia and host susceptibility – Xin Wei et al – iMeta

Distinctive duodenal microbiomes and bile acid profiles in duodenal tumor patients revealed by prospective observational study – Yoko Kubosawa et al – Nature Scientific Reports

Elucidating the dynamics and impact of the gut microbiome on maternal nutritional status during pregnancy, effect on pregnancy outcomes and infant health in rural Pakistan: study protocol for a prospective, longitudinal observational study – Yaqub Wassan et al – BMJ Open

Time-varying ambient air pollution exposure is associated with gut microbiome variation in the first 2 years of life – Tianlai Qiu et al – Environmental Pollution

Animal experiments

Gut Microbiota-Induced Modulation of the Central Nervous System Function in Parkinson’s Disease Through the Gut-Brain Axis and Short-Chain Fatty Acids – Yiting Ni et al – Molecular Neurobiology

Animal microbiome

Synergistic pectin deconstruction is a prerequisite for mutualistic interactions between honeybee gut bacteria – Junbo Tang et al – Nature Communications

Environmentally acquired gut-associated bacteria are not critical for growth and survival in a solitary bee, Megachile rotundata – Gagandeep Brar et al – Applied & Environmental Microbiology

Duck gut metagenome reveals the microbiome signatures linked to intestinal regional, temporal development, and rearing condition – Lingyan Ma & Wentao Lyu et al – iMeta

Meconium microbiota in naturally delivered canine puppies – Alessia Bertero et al – BMC Veterinary Research

Gut microbiome perturbation and its correlation with tylosin pharmacokinetics in healthy and infected pigs – Eon-Bee Lee et al – Nature Scientific Reports

Beneficial microbes, compounds, & foods

Restriction of growth and biofilm formation of ESKAPE pathogens by caprine gut-derived probiotic bacteria – Prerna Saini et al – Frontiers in Microbiology

[REVIEW] Polyphenols improve non-alcoholic fatty liver disease via gut microbiota: A comprehensive review – Kimia Mohammadhasani et al – Food Science & Nutrition

[REVIEW] Exploring the Potential of Postbiotics for Food Safety and Human Health Improvement – Folayemi Janet Isaac-Bamgboye et al – Journal of Nutrition & Metabolism

Transcriptomics and gut microbiome analysis of the edible herb Bidens pilosa as a functional feed additive to promote growth and metabolism in tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) – Che-Chun Chen et al – BMC Genomics

[REVIEW] A comprehensive review of the characterization, host interactions, and stabilization advancements on probiotics: Addressing the challenges in functional food diversification – Eskindir Getachew Fentie et al – Comp. Rev. in Food Science & Safety

Effects of kefir consumption on gut microbiota and health outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome – Merve Esra Çıtar Dazıroğlu – Food Science & Nutrition

Plant, root, & soil microbiome

Decrease due to pollution in the rhizosphere microbial diversity can be amended by supplementation from adapted plants of another species – Anastasiia Fetsiukh et al – Nature Scientific Reports

Differences in the constituents of bacterial microbiota of soils collected from two fields of diverse potato blackleg and soft rot diseases incidences, a case study – Weronika Babinska-Wensierska et al – Nature Scientific Reports

Variations of soil metal content, soil enzyme activity and soil bacterial community in Rhododendron delavayi natural shrub forest at different elevations – Li Wang et al – BMC Microbiology

Effective microorganism combinations improve the quality of compost-bedded pack products in heifer barns: exploring pack bacteria-fungi interaction mechanisms – Zhenbin Zhang et al – BMC Microbiology

Global patterns in the growth potential of soil bacterial communities – Ernest D. Osburn et al – Nature Communications

Microplastic-contamination can reshape plant community by affecting soil properties – Mengzuan He et al – Ecotoxicology & Environmental Safety

Water & extremophile microbiome

Microbial Succession on Microplastics in Wastewater Treatment Plants: Exploring the Complexities of Microplastic-Microbiome Interactions – Klaudia Kwiatkowska & Paulina Ormaniec – Microbial Ecology

Microbial ecology

Higher-order interactions and emergent properties of microbial communities: The power of synthetic ecology – Oscar Gallardo-Navarro et a – Heliyon

Antibiotic resistance

[NEWS FEATURE] Five ways science is tackling the antibiotic resistance crisis – Amber Dance – Nature

Antibiotic resistance gene dynamics in the commensal infant gut microbiome over the first year of life – Pål Trosvik et al – Nature Scientific Reports

Bioinformatics tools

MetaBakery: a Singularity implementation of bioBakery tools as a skeleton application for efficient HPC deconvolution of microbiome metagenomic sequencing data to machine learning ready information – Boštjan Murovec et al – Frontiers in Microbiology

May 29, 2024

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Human microbiomes

Gut microbiome remodeling and metabolomic profile improves in response to protein pacing with intermittent fasting versus continuous caloric restriction – Alex E. Mohr – Nature Communications

[PREPRINT] Towards a Health-Associated Core Keystone (HACK) index for the human gut microbiome – Abishek Goel – bioRxiv

Exposure to environmental pollutants selects for xenobiotic-degrading functions in the human gut microbiome – Francesca De Fillipis – Nature Communications

The interrelation between microbial immunoglobulin coating, vaginal microbiota, ethnicity, and preterm birth – H.J. Schuster – BMC Microbiome

Porphyromonas gingivalis, a bridge between oral health and immune evasion in gastric cancer – Matías Muñoz-Medel – Frontiers in Oncology

Differences in maternal subgingival microbiome between preterm and term births: The MOHEPI study – Jung Soo Park – Journal of Periodontal Resaerch

Animal microbiome

Integrating uterine microbiome and metabolome to advance the understanding of the uterine environment in dairy cows with metritis – S. Casaro – BMC Animal Microbiome

Responses of nutrient utilization, rumen fermentation and microorganisms to different roughage of dairy buffaloes – Shichun He – BMC Microbiology

Identification of the mutual gliding locus as a factor for gut colonization in non-native bee hosts using the ARTP mutagenesis – Yujie Meng – BMC Microbiome

Co-habiting ants and silverfish display a converging feeding ecology – Thomas Parmentier – BMC Biology

Temperature-dependent differences in mouse gut motility are mediated by stress – Alvin Han – Nature Lab Animal

Food microbiome

Evaluation of microbiota-induced changes in biochemical, sensory properties and volatile profile of kombucha produced by reformed microbial community – Hilal Kilmanoglu – Food Chemistry X

Plant, soil, and root microbiome

Microbial polyphenol metabolism is part of the thawing permafrost carbon cycle – Bridget B. McGivern – Nature Microbiology

[PREPRINT] Soil viral community dynamics over seven years of heat disturbance: spatial variation exceeds temporal in annually sampled soils – Samuel E. Barnett & Ashley Shade – bioRxiv

Global soil metagenomics reveals distribution and predominance of Deltaproteobacteria in nitrogen-fixing microbiome – Yoko Masuda – BMC Microbiome

Water & extremophile microbiome

Bacterial dynamics of the plastisphere microbiome exposed to sub-lethal antibiotic pollution – Brune Jounnard & Concepcion Sanchez-Cid – BMC Microbiome

Exploring potential polysaccharide utilization loci involved in the degradation of typical marine seaweed polysaccharides by Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron – Biao Yu – Frontiers in Microbiology

Organic matter degradation in the deep, sulfidic waters of the Black Sea: insights into the ecophysiology of novel anaerobic bacteria – Subhash Yadav – BMC Microbiome

Human microbiome digest, October 7, 2014

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Treating toxic arsenic levels with yoghurt, colonization patterns in low birthweight infants, evil alliances in breastmilk, and smoking and oral microbiome.

Human microbiome general

Opinion: Conservation and stewardship of the human microbiome – Kieran C. O’Doherty – PNAS USA

“Just as humans have impacted many large animal species in the environment, drastic changes in human lifestyle over the past century may have altered the global pool of human-associated microbes; if so, these shifts may pose substantial threats to individual and public health.”

Friends with Social Benefits: Host-Microbe Interactions as a Driver of Brain Evolution and Development? – Roman M. Stilling – Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

“Here in this hypothesis and theory article, we propose how host-microbe associations potentially influenced mammalian brain evolution and development. “

Pregnancy and birth

Intestinal Colonization Among Very Low Birth Weight Infants in First Week of Life (PDF) – Sourabh Dutta – Indian Pediatrics

“Very low birth weight infants admitted in neonatal intensive care units have abnormal intestinal colonization patterns”

Is a fetus developing in a sterile environment? – Trudy M. Wassenaar and Pinaki Panigrahi – Letters in Applied Microbiology

Probiotics and Necrotizing Enterocolitis – Josef Neu – Clinics in Perinatology (paywalled even at Stanford)

Potential involvement of Campylobacter curvus and Haemophilus parainfluenzae in preterm birth – George Louis Mendz – BMJ Case Reports

“A woman presented with prelabour premature preterm rupture of membranes and delivered extremely preterm at 26 weeks by caesarean section.”

Network analysis reveals a potentially ‘evil’ alliance of opportunistic pathogens inhibited by a cooperative network in human milk bacterial communities – Zhanshan Ma – arXiv

“..we reconstructed a milk bacterial community network with the data from Hunt et al (2011), which is the largest 16S-rRNA sequence data set of human milk microbiome available to date.”

Randomized Open-Label Pilot Study of the Influence of Probiotics and the Gut Microbiome on Toxic Metal Levels in Tanzanian Pregnant Women and School Children – Jordan E. Bisanz – mBio

“Consumption of probiotic yogurt had a protective effect against further increases in mercury (3.2 nmol/liter; P = 0.035) and arsenic (2.3 nmol/liter; P = 0.011) blood levels in the pregnant women, but this trend was not statistically significant in the children.”

Human oral microbiome

* Alcohol and tobacco consumption affects bacterial richness in oral cavity mucosa biofilms – Andrew Maltez Thomas – BMC Microbiology

“DNA was extracted from swabs and the V1 region of the 16S rRNA gene was PCR amplified and sequenced using the Ion Torrent PGM platform, generating 3.7 million high quality reads. “

* Subgingival microbiome in smokers and non-smokers in Korean chronic periodontitis patients – Ji-Hoi Moon – Molecular Oral Microbiology

“Here, we investigated the composition of subgingival bacterial communities from the pooled plaque samples of smokers and non-smokers, 134 samples each group, in Korean moderate chronic periodontitis patients using 16S rRNA gene-based pyrosequencing.”

Human respiratory microbiome

Sinus culture poorly predicts resident microbiota – Leah J. Hauser – International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology

“The association between 16S relative abundance and detection by culture was determined using logistic regression.”

Localization of Burkholderia cepacia Complex Bacteria in Cystic Fibrosis Lungs and Interactions with Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Hypoxic Mucus – Ute Schwab – Infection and Immunity

“We performed immunohistochemistry for Bcc and P. aeruginosa bacteria on 21 coinfected or singly infected CF lungs obtained at transplantation or autopsy. “

Human gut microbiome

* Intestinal permeability, gut-bacterial dysbiosis, and behavioral markers of alcohol-dependence severity – Sophie Leclercq – PNAS USA

“In this study, we showed that alcohol-dependent subjects with altered intestinal permeability had also altered gut-microbiota composition and activity and remained with high scores of depression, anxiety, and alcohol craving after a short-term detoxification program.”

Structural modulation of gut microbiota during alleviation of type 2 diabetes with a Chinese herbal formula – Jia Xu – ISME Journal

“Pyrosequencing of the V3 regions of 16S rRNA genes revealed a dose-dependent deviation of gut microbiota in response to GQD treatment.”

Modelling the emergent dynamics and major metabolites of the human colonic microbiota – Helen Kettle – Environmental Microbiology

“To reduce the complexity of the system, we divide the bacterial community into 10 bacterial functional groups (BFGs) each distinguished by its substrate preferences, metabolic pathways and its preferred pH range. “

Animal models of microbiome research

Transcriptome analysis of Escherichia coli O157:H7 grown in vitro in the sterile-filtrated cecal content of human gut microbiota associated rats reveals an adaptive expression of metabolic and virulence genes – Guillaume Le Bihan – Microbes and Infection

“A transcriptomic analysis was performed on the EHEC strain EDL933 incubated in vitro in the sterile-filtrated cecal content of human microbiota-associated rats (HMC) compared with EDL933 incubated in the sterile-filtrated cecal content of germ-free rat (GFC).”

Early Innate Immunity to Bacterial Infection in the Lung Is Regulated Systemically by the Commensal Microbiota via Nod-Like Receptor Ligands – Thomas B. Clarke – Infection and Immunity

“Microbiota depletion caused significant defects in the early innate response to lung infection by the major human pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae.”

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Microbiome digest, September 22, 2014

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Temporal stability of the microbiomes of 85 adults, bacteria in breast milk, vaginal microbiome during pregnancy, water microbiomes, and Bik’s Picks.

Human microbiome general

Temporal variability is a personalized feature of the human microbiome – Gilberto E Flores – PeerJ PrePrints

“Here we address this gap in understanding by profiling the forehead, gut (fecal), palm, and tongue microbial communities in 85 adults, weekly over three months.”

Pregnancy and birth

It’s Alive: Microbes and Cells in Human Milk and Their Potential Benefits to Mother and Infant – Lars Bode – Advances in Nutrition

“This article is a summary of the symposium “It’s Alive: Microbes and Cells in Human Milk and Their Potential Benefits to Mother and Infant” held 29 April 2014 at the ASN Scientific Sessions and Annual Meeting at Experimental Biology 2014 in San Diego, CA.”

Microorganisms in the Female Genital Tract during Pregnancy: Tolerance versus Pathogenesis – Bruna de Andrade Ramos – American Journal of Reproductive Immunology

“We review the state of knowledge of microbe–host interactions in gestational tissues and highlight mechanisms that promote tolerance or pathogenesis.”

Determinants and pattern of care seeking for preterm newborns in a rural Bangladeshi cohort – Rashed Shah – BMC Health Services Research

“Only one-fifth (19.7%) of preterm newborns were taken to seek either preventive or curative health care.”

Human oral microbiome

Microbial signature profiles of periodontally healthy and diseased patients – Talita Gomes Baêta Lourenço – Journal of Clinical Periodontology

“Subgingival biofilm was obtained from patients with periodontal health (27), gingivitis (11), chronic periodontitis (35) and aggressive periodontitis (24), and analysed for the presence of >250 species/phylotypes using HOMIM.”

Human gut microbiome

Review: Modulation of the Gut Microbiota by Nutrients with Prebiotic and Probiotic Properties – Céline Druart – Advances in Nutrition

“In this review, we describe how changes in the composition and/or activity of the gut microbiota by administration of nutrients with probiotic or prebiotic properties can modulate host gene expression and metabolism and thereby positively influence host adipose tissue development and related metabolic disorders.”

Mammal microbiome

Resistance to Antibiotics of Clinical Relevance in the Fecal Microbiota of Mexican Wildlife – Jurgi Cristóbal-Azkarate – PLOS ONE

“Here, we used culture and molecular methods to assess ATBR in bacteria in fecal samples from howler monkeys, spider monkeys, tapirs and felids living freely in two regions of the Mexican state of Veracruz under different degrees of human influence.“

Bird microbiome

Do feather-degrading bacteria actually degrade feather colour? No significant effects of plumage microbiome modifications on feather colouration in wild great tits – Staffan Jacob – Naturwissenschaften

“Here, we tested whether (i) keratinolytic microorganisms can degrade feathers in vivo and thus modify the colour of feathers during the nesting period and (ii) whether feather microorganisms have a long-term effect on the investment in colouration of newly moulted feathers.”

Plant microbiome

Impact of swapping soils on the endophytic bacterial communities of pre-domesticated, ancient and modern maize – David Johnston-Monje – BMC Plant Biology

“The impact of these soil swaps on founder bacterial endophyte communities was tested using 16S-rDNA profiling, culturing and microbial trait phenotyping.“

Microbiota in Wheat Roots, Rhizosphere and Soil in Crops Grown in Organic and Other Production Systems – Leszek Lenc – Journal of Phytopathology

“The other two systems were intermediate, with microbial communities suggesting that the conventional system produced a slightly more suppressive environment than the integrated system. “

Soil microbiome

Bacterial and Archaeal Communities in Bleached Mottles of Tropical Podzols –
K. J. Silva, P. Vidal-Torrado, M. R. Lambais – Microbial Ecology

“In this study, we examined the bacterial and archaeal communities along three Brazilian coastal podzol profiles, as well as in bleached mottles and their immediate vicinity, using 16S rRNA gene profiling.”

Water microbiome

Microplastic is an abundant and distinct microbial habitat in an urban river – Amanda McCormick – Environmental Science & Technology

“Results from high-throughput sequencing showed that bacterial assemblages colonizing microplastic within the river were less diverse and were significantly different in taxonomic composition compared to those from the water column and suspended organic matter.”

Application of Ion Torrent Sequencing to the Assessment of the Effect of Alkali Ballast Water Treatment on Microbial Community Diversity – Masanori Fujimoto – PLOS ONE

“The impact of NaOH as a ballast water treatment (BWT) on microbial community diversity was assessed using the 16S rRNA gene based Ion Torrent sequencing with its new 400 base chemistry.”

Microbial diversity of the Soldhar hot spring, India, assessed by analyzing 16S rRNA and protein-coding genes – Avinash Sharma – Annals of Microbiology

“Bacterial diversity of the Soldhar hot spring, located in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, India, was investigated using a clone library, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and functional genes.”

Microbial community composition and in silico predicted metabolic potential reflect biogeochemical gradients between distinct peatland types – Zuzana Urbanová and Jiří Bárta – FEMS Microbial Ecology

“Species richness and microbial diversity increased significantly from bog to fen, with SSF in between, reflecting the variation in pH, nutrient availability and peat decomposability. “

A molecular survey of freshwater microeukaryotes in an Arctic reservoir (Svalbard, 79°N) in summer by using next-generation sequencing – Thangavelu Boopathi – Polar Biology

“In this study, freshwater microeukaryotes in an Arctic reservoir at Ny-Ǻlesund (Svalbard, Norway) were studied using the hypervariable V1–V3 small subunit rRNA and 454 pyrosequencing.”

Built Environment

Urban microbiomes and urban ecology: How do microbes in the built environment affect human sustainability in cities? – Gary M. King – Journal of Microbiology

“I provide here a definition of the urban microbiome, and through examples indicate its centrality to human function and wellbeing in urban systems”

Phages and viruses

Metagenomic Evaluation of the Highly Abundant Human Gut Bacteriophage CrAssphage for Source Tracking of Human Fecal Pollution – Elyse Stachler and Kyle Bibby – Environmental Science & Technology

“Here, 86 publically available metagenomes were surveyed to determine the presence and abundance of crAssphage in various environments, and to identify its utility for source tracking of human fecal pollution.”

Microbes in the news

Understanding the Microbiome and Its Impact on Human Health – Kristine Nally – HCPLive

“Instant polling at an educational session of the 2014 American Academy of Pain Management annual clinical meeting in Phoenix, AZ, revealed that only 40 percent of the approximately 350-person audience was “familiar” with the concept of a microbiome.”

Mining the microbiome for medicines – Set a thief… – The Economist

“Antibiotics are not the only things Dr Donia’s technique might turn up, for the bugs in the human microbiome spit out all sorts of other chemicals that could potentially be put to use as drugs.”

Techniques

Comparative Analysis of Functional Metagenomic Annotation and the Mappability of Short Reads – Rogan Carr and Elhanan Borenstein – MicroBEnet

“We therefore set out to develop a set of ‘best practices’ for our lab for metagenomic sequence annotation and to prove (or disprove) quantitatively that such direct functional annotation of short reads provides a valid functional representation of the sample.”

Science and publishing

Anonymous peer-review comments may spark legal battle – Kelly Servick – Science Insider

“The power of anonymous comments—and the liability of those who make them—is at the heart of a possible legal battle embroiling PubPeer, an online forum launched in October 2012 for anonymous, postpublication peer review.”

Time to Raise the Profile of Women and Minorities in Science – Brian Welle and Megan Smith – Scientific American

“Along these lines, over the past few years, we discovered some pretty ugly news about our beloved Google Doodles. “

Bik’s Picks

Immune system of newborn babies stronger than previously thought – Science Daily

“Contrary to what was previously thought, newborn immune T cells may have the ability to trigger an inflammatory response to bacteria, according to a new study.”

The Preservation Of Lonesome George – Sarah Fecht – PopSci.com

“Decades after the last giant tortoise was thought to have disappeared from the island of Pinta in the Galapagos, Lonesome George turned up in 1971 and became a conservation icon.”

 Great white sharks partly to blame for otter recovery stall – Peter Fimrite – SF Gate

“Most scientists agree that the number of animals, which are also known as southern sea otters, should be increasing, but hungry predators and a lack of food may be limiting their growth.”

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