#microbiology

We found a really cool giant virus inside the genome of a green alga, and it has a very strange infection cycle that is hard to detect.

There are reports going back decades of viral particles spontaneously appearing in pure cultures of green algae, so this phenomenon seems quite common but mostly overlooked.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ads6303

#viruses #microbiology #algae

Anticipating Seasons

Noteworthy — While plants and animals can measure differences in the length of days and nights bacteria, with their short life spans, would not be expected to do so.

Read more > https://schaechter.asmblog.org/schaechter/2025/04/anticipating-seasons.html
#microbiology

A tale of two caspases

Macrophages control intracellular pathogens like Salmonella by using two caspase enzymes at different times during infection. #Immunology #Microbiology
https://elifesciences.org/articles/106581?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic_insights

This is so cool! Literally the project my students are doing in #microbiology this quarter, and it yielded a new CLASS of #antibiotic, which the world badly needs. #science #GoodNews https://healthsci.mcmaster.ca/a-breakthrough-moment-mcmaster-researchers-discover-new-class-of-antibiotics/

World’s smallest pacemaker is activated by light

https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2025/03/worlds-smallest-pacemaker-is-activated-by-light/

#biotech #biotechnology #science #biology #microbiology

I still return to this as a meditative experience about life, our finite experiences (and in a meta sense, this finite YT channel), and our placement in time. #Science can offer a philosophical understanding I find meaningful. Thank you @hankgreen.bsky.social! #Biology #MicroCosmos #Microbiology

This Ciliate Is About to Die

Cultivating the Ancestors… (1|4)

by Christoph — ...is a metaphysical affair across all human cultures. For experimental biologists, it is the more prosaic, physical task of cultivating extant prokaryotic relatives of the an­cestors of the eukaryotes in the lab. Or the 'most likely' ancestors of the eukaryotes, to be cautious when leaping back ~2 billion years in time. Now, meet P. syntrophicum MK-D1, and its syntrophic companions.

Read more > https://schaechter.asmblog.org/schaechter/2025/04/cultivating-the-ancestors-14.html
#microbiology

the director of the National Institute of #ChildHealth & Human Development [#NICHD], the director of the #NIH’s Division of #Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, the director of the National Institute of #Nursing #Research [#NINR], & the director of the National Institute on Minority Health & Health Disparities [#NIMHD].

#RFKJr #Trump #PublicHealth #ConspiracyTheories #science #medicine #research #disease #ethics #USpol

2-Apr-2025
The first case of #phageTherapy for biliary tract infection caused by #superbugs

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1079259 #science #medicine #microbiology #bacteriophages

Novel Fungus-Cyanobacterium Symbiosis

Noteworthy — Fungi are wonderfully diverse and versatile microorganisms. And it is perhaps this versatility that makes them so adept at forming symbiotic relationships with other organisms. Mycorrhizae or endophytic fungi, for example, inhabit plant tissues where they reside within or between plant cells.

Read more > https://schaechter.asmblog.org/schaechter/2025/04/novel-fungus-cyanobacterium-symbiosis.html
#microbiology

Doctors urge government to fight poverty after rise in patients with Victorian diseases https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/03/doctors-urge-government-fight-poverty-victorian-diseases #Infectiousdiseases #Medicalresearch #Microbiology #Inequality #Doctors #Society #Science #Poverty #Health #UKnews

Because of course they did.

https://fortune.com/2025/03/28/23andme-bankruptcy-chapter-11-genetic-data-medical-ancestry-dna-silicon-valley-delete/

#biotech #biotechnology #science #biology #microbiology

Wonderful discovery for #protists #independentresearch #microscopy #microbiology folks. Check out a new zine called "Amoeba Discovery":

https://stefanluketa.com/amoeba-discovery/

I never thought very much about protists/amoebas, and reading this volume was a fascinating introduction to what seems to be an understudied field.

Now I'm wondering how I might isolate and sequence some interesting samples!

@foaylward

Our Built Environment Microbiomes

by Mechas — There is no doubt that our understanding of microbiomes – those microbial communities in practically any environment – has increased in recent years. Research now covers almost any conceivable niches, from cow rumen or the human gut, to numerous human-made ecosystems.

Read more > https://schaechter.asmblog.org/schaechter/2025/03/our-built-environment-microbiomes-.html
#microbiology

"This is a new molecule with a new mode of action," said senior study author Gerry Wright, a professor at McMaster University, among other appointments. "It's a big leap forward for us."

#antibiotics #microbiology #medicine #health #research #science

https://www.labroots.com/trending/cell-and-molecular-biology/28770/lariocidin-class-antibiotics-discovered

Making a Living in the Nucleus

Noteworthy – When it comes to intracellular pathogens, we usually think of those that remain inside a membrane-enclosed vacuole and those that escape into the cytoplasm. Much rarer are cases of parasite that make a living inside the nucleus.

Read more > https://schaechter.asmblog.org/schaechter/2025/03/making-a-living-in-the-nucleus.html
#microbiology

My at-home algal cultivation hobby is going well. I am surprised thst soil samples are the best for growing new green algae - more so than pond water.

#algae #protists #microbiology

“This is a paradigm-shifting finding,” said first study author George Hoeferlin, Ph.D. “For decades, the field has focused on the body’s immune response to these implants, but our research now shows that bacteria, some originating from the gut, are also playing a role in the inflammation surrounding these devices.”

#brain #health #bacteria #microbiology #neuroscience #science #research

https://www.labroots.com/trending/microbiology/28747/brain-implants-trigger-bacterial-invasion

Bacteria pass down their memories to fight viruses

https://www.earth.com/news/bacteria-pass-down-their-memories-to-fight-viruses/

#science #biology #microbiology #bacteria #genetics #viruses #bacteriophages #phages #crispr

UK experts urge prioritising research into 24 types of deadly pathogen families https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/25/uk-experts-urge-prioritising-research-into-24-types-of-deadly-pathogen-families #Infectiousdiseases #Medicalresearch #Climatecrisis #Microbiology #Coronavirus #Science #Biology #Malaria #Health #UKnews #Ebola