When I first saw the headline on this I groaned a little, thinking this was some completely bogus type of project. But actually, upon reading about it in more detail it sounds like a really good public engagement project involving the eclipse, students, space, and microbes. The article: Most-watched eclipse in history could answer the …
This is a worthwhile read – from Judy Stone – on germs on kitchen sponges. “The brouhaha about germs on kitchen sponges is much ado about nothing. Put it in perspective with these tidbits.” Source: Germs On Your Kitchen Sponge? Get a Grip!
Microbes in space have been of interest to the folks at various space agencies for as long as we’ve been sending people into space. Rampant mold growth on the Russian Space Station Mir was probably one of the reasons for the decision to “deorbit” the station (a fancy way of describing crashing into the ocean). …
Researchers at Virginia Tech’s Center for Science and Engineering of the Exposome (SEE) recently published a critical review in ES&T examining the “exposome of the built environment” and proposed engineering strategies for its control. The exposome is defined as our lifetime exposure to chemicals, microbes, and radiation and derives from anything we come into …
Came across this pretty interesting story today, an article in the Guardian entitled “Bacteria from 300-year-old Ovid poetry volume inspires ‘bio-artist’”. Basically the artist found an old book, and then cultured microbes from it, using her own blood to make blood agar plates. Voila, cool microbe art with history mixed in.
The Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory (ESBL) at the University of Oregon is seeking a new Associate Director of Outreach at the Portland location! At ESBL, as part of the Department of Architecture, we research how buildings, related transportation and land use systems, climate, and human behavior, determine energy and resource use and impact human health. …
Couples who live together share many things: Bedrooms, bathrooms, food, and even bacteria. After analyzing skin microbiomes from cohabitating couples, microbial ecologists at the University of Waterloo, in Canada, found that people who live together significantly influence the microbial communities on each other’s skin. I am the Public Relations Coordinator at the American Society for …
There is a wonderful tribute to Norm Pace in the Atlantic by Ed Yong. Norm Pace truly did blow the door off the microbial world. Source: Norm Pace Blew The Door Off The Microbial World – The Atlantic Lots of good stuff in there about Pace and his career. See for example this: Pace also …
Came across this study today “Airborne Pathogens inside Automobiles for Domestic Use: Assessing In-Car Air Decontamination Devices Using Staphylococcus aureus as the Challenge Bacterium”. What struck me from the start was the Abstract which begins: Family cars represent ∼74% of the yearly global output of motorized vehicles. With a life expectancy of ∼8 decades in …
Quick post here. This is definitely worth a look for those interested in hospital acquired infections, microbial genomics, and genomic epidemiology or related topics. LivaNova plant in Germany is the likely source behind outbreak that has sickened more than 100 people since 2013. Source: DNA Links Deadly Germs, Tainted Heart Surgery Devices To German Factory …