Microbiology Christmas Tree – luminescent bacteria, giant microbes, and more.
Just a quick holiday post with a 30 second video of an awesome microbiology Christmas tree in Washington state highlighting the very luminescent Photobacterium leiognathi.
“Toxic fungus thrives in bathroom sinks” – a sequence-based examination of Fusarium in homes and buildings
Another “scary microbe that lives in your house/office/car” story. In this case, the fungi Fusarium which can be pathogenic, particularly for people with immune deficiencies. To be fair, the authors of the scientific study take pains to point out that “the serious infections caused by fusaria are relatively uncommon and that these fungi may even …
Community structure of microbial-based filters to reduce smells on pig farms
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) as a group are of major concern to those who study indoor air quality. A few of these are produced by microbes (mVOCs) but most are from our use of chemicals in building materials and disinfection. The potential role of microbes in the mediation of VOCs is not particularly well understood …
Homeland Security Funding Opportunity – Reference Genome Sequencing
Just a quick note about a funding opportunity of potential interest. The Department of Homeland Security “BAA 12-04 Whole Genome Approach to Microbial Forensics (WGAMF)” program has a grant called “Whole-genome sequencing to capture the global biodiversity of human, plant and animal pathogens (bacterial, viral and fungal) in support of microbial forensics analysis” https://baa2.st.dhs.gov/portal/public/Menu.action?page=baa_current_solicitations Here’s the …
Quick Post: Good Citizen Science reading by Rob Dunn
I am enjoying the posts to the Scientific American Blogs by Rob Dunn on his and other Citizen Science project(s) and I thought I would share here. Scientist Spots Missing Link in his Basement, but is too Sleepy to Catch it | Compound Eye, Scientific American Blog Network. The top 10 life-forms living on Lady …
Advances in imaging the oral microbiome would have interesting applications in the built environment
When we talk about “community structure” in microbial ecology we are usually referring to the composition and frequency of various species in that community, information often arrived at through rRNA sequencing and/or metagenomics. But there is of course also a “real” structure of communities, particularly in biofilms. Some species tend to be physically associated with …
Updated microBEnet calendar – additional suggestions wanted
In preparation for the New Year, we’ve updated our “Upcoming Events” page and calendar to include conferences/workshops etc. that we hope will be of interest. We’ve tried to include both microbiology and building sciences, but mainly places where they overlap. https://www.microbe.net/upcoming-events/ Please feel free to send us any additional suggestions!
“Microbial Home” by Philips takes a futuristic, holistic, positive look at microbes in the home
As with our recent musings on probiotics for buildings, sometimes it’s fun and productive to think about the distant future in the microbiology of the built environment. And Royal Philips Electronics (Netherlands) has done just that with their futuristic “Microbial Home” project. I’m not saying every one of their ideas will work, or that I’m …
Wastewater contribues to antibiotic resistance even after the best available treatments
Wastewater treatment systems are one of the few built environments where microbes get the attention we believe they deserve. Bacteria in particular are a critical component of treating the massive waste stream generated by humanity on a daily basis. And those bacteria are basically harmless out in the wild… unless they harbor and transfer antibiotic …
Conference of interest: Conference on Building Energy and Environment
Just became aware of a conference that may be of interest to those who care about microbiology of the built environment: The Second International Conference on Building Energy and Environment (COBEE). From their website: Energy and environment concerns have been ranked among the top problems facing society for the next 50 years, of which buildings …