Closed access review of the MoBE field

Very torn about this.  On the one hand “Microbiology of the Built Environment” by Jack Gilbert and Brent Stephens is a great summary of the current status of the field.   On the other hand, it’s behind a paywall and I can’t access the article from my house where I am currently working.   In the interests …

Thinking about microbial quantity and function

One of the hurdles in linking microbial ecology with building science has been incorporating quantitative information about the microorganisms encountered in indoor environments, mainly because the standard high-throughput amplicon approach for community analysis is semi-quantitative, at best. Over the summer, there was a Twitter conversation related to this topic. My take-away from this (what I view …

Fluorescent biological aerosol particles in residence

Residences represent an important site for bioaerosol exposure because of the large proportion of time that people spend in their homes. Using real-time instrumentation, our recent study in Indoor Air investigated bioaerosol concentrations, emissions, and exposures in a northern California residence, focusing on the effect of human occupancy and activities. Using an ultraviolet aerodynamic particle …

Call for nominations (self ones OK): mSystems special issue – Perspectives by Early-Career Scientists

I am posting this on behalf of mSystems, for which I am a Senior Editor. ASM’s journal, mSystems®, is planning to publish a new volume of its Early-Career PIs special issue in 2019. As with the last issue, this issue will feature Perspective articles by early-career principal investigators highlighting their innovative research and their views on …

New #MoBE paper of interest: Exploring temporal patterns of bacterial and fungal DNA accumulation on a ventilation system filter 

This new #OpenAccess paper may be of interest to those out there thinking about microbes in the built environment. : Luhung I, Wu Y, Xu S, Yamamoto N, Wei-Chung Chang V, Nazaroff WW (2018) Exploring temporal patterns of bacterial and fungal DNA accumulation on a ventilation system filter for a Singapore university library. PLoS ONE …

US Interagency Strategic Plan for Microbiome Research

Some important reading for those interested in microbiomes. NSF’s mission is to advance the progress of science, a mission accomplished by funding proposals for research and education made by scientists, engineers, and educators from across the country. From NSF: A group of 23 U.S. government agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), have joined to …

Special issue of mSystems: Essays by Early-Career Systems Microbiology Scientists

This should be of interest to many: mSystems has a whole issue dedicated to essays by “Early-Career Systems Microbiology Scientists”. Early-Career Systems Microbiology Scientists Jack A. Gilbert mSystems March/April 2018 3:e00002-18; doi:10.1128/mSystems.00002-18 http://msystems.asm.org/content/3/2/e00002-18   Conflict of Interest Declarations by Contributing Editors of the Special Issue on Early-Career Systems Microbiology Scientists, Sponsored by Janssen Human Microbiome …

New Report on The Struggle for Water Justice from the UC Davis Center for Regional Change

Of potential interest:: The Struggle for Water Justice from the Center for Regional Change at UC Davis. Summary: The Struggle for Water Justice: Disadvantaged Unincorporated Communities in California’s San Joaquin ValleyFebruary 2018 In California, lack of access to clean, safe, and affordable water is a threat to public health and well-being, and violates the state’s newly codified …

Paper of interest: antibiotic resistance and the safety of reusing treated wastewater

Paper of possible interest: Hong, P.-Y.; Julian, T.R.; Pype, M.-L.; Jiang, S.C.; Nelson, K.L.; Graham, D.; Pruden, A.; Manaia, C.M. Reusing Treated Wastewater: Consideration of the Safety Aspects Associated with Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Antibiotic Resistance Genes. Water 2018, 10, 244. Abstract: As more countries engage in water reuse, either intended or de facto, there is …

New paper of potential interest on economic development and the human microbiome

There is a new paper out of possible interest. Source: Stagaman K, Cepon-Robins TJ, Liebert MA, Gildner TE, Urlacher SS, Madimenos FC, Guillemin K, Snodgrass JJ, Sugiyama LS, Bohannan BJM. 2018. Market integration predicts human gut microbiome attributes across a gradient of economic development. mSystems 3:e00122-17. https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00122-17.     Abstract: Economic development is marked by dramatic …