It’s a New Year! What’s your New Year’s resolution? Are you trying to eat healthier by eating microbially fermented foods full of nutrients? Or do you want to be more friendly to the environment by using green bio-plastics? Keeping this planet green and healthy is a great New Year’s resolution. …
Read More »Mechanisms of how bacteria fight viruses
Bacteria are constantly at war. Either they are attacked by other bacteria, or by other microbes like viruses. For a virus to survive, it needs another living organism. Viruses infect any organism that has its own metabolism: animals, humans, fungi or even bacteria. But none of these organisms likes being …
Read More »Compiling Information about COVID19 transmission, masks, filtration, schools, etc.
Trying to collect some of the various information about COVID19 transmission and related topics including masks, schools, CO2, variants, etc. Mostly from Twitter threads and News articles Masks Wall Street Journal: Double Face Masks? N95? Protect Yourself Against New Covid-19 Variants With These Mask Upgrades Some important lines Double masking …
Read More »A bacterial green solution for electronic waste: microbial nanowires
We live in a wired world. Everything is connected and our lives depend more and more on technology and electrical devices. All electronic materials that we use, are produced with lots of energy, harsh processing and/or toxic chemicals. Many electronic devices and batteries are considered disposable. But these are not …
Read More »Bacteria wrap themselves in their swimming flagella
The human body developed amazing mechanisms to fight off bacterial pathogens. And yet, many bacteria learned to swim through our bodies as if nothing was in their ways. As if there was no obstacle, no immune system to stop them. Many of our organs have a slimy mucus which is …
Read More »Wanted – science driven guidelines for deciding if and how to keep open / reopen schools re: #COVID19
I am compiling some materials on science driven guidelines for how to decide if and how to keep open and/or reopen schools in the face of COVID19. Here are some I have compiled that I seem to be useful. I would love other examples. (Updated 12/21 at 3 PM) National …
Read More »How microbes help make our foods
You may know that microbes are helping to save the planet, but did you know they are also helping to save your meal? Microbes are necessary for many of our favorite foods, such as bread, cheese, and chocolate, and the beverages we wash them down with, like beer and wine! …
Read More »#COVID19 Journal Club “Evidence of Long-Distance Droplet Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by Direct Air Flow in a Restaurant in Korea”
This one has been getting a lot of popular media attention… and really the title says it all “Evidence of Long-Distance Droplet Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by Direct Air Flow in a Restaurant in Korea”. This study describes a transmission that took place at over 20 feet in only 5 minutes… …
Read More »Bacteria fight by destroying each other’s biofilms
Bacteria can be extremely nasty to each other. They have killer weapons to deliver lethal toxins into other microbes. Like this, they conquer new space wherever they go. But some bacteria are even more sneaky than that. They destroy the houses that bacteria live in. This leaves the prey exposed …
Read More »#COVID19 Journal Club: “Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RNA contamination of inanimate surfaces and virus viability in a health care emergency unit”
Another quick post here. “Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RNA contamination of inanimate surfaces and virus viability in a health care emergency unit.” One of several studies that have found the presence of viral RNA in a healthcare setting, but who were unable to culture virus from surfaces there. …
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