Preparing for the crewed Mars journey: Microbiota dynamics in the confined Mars500 habitat during simulated Mars flight and landing

Human exploration of planet Mars has a long history with number of robotic missions surveying the Martian surface and environment, including  the Viking program (1975), the Mars Exploration Rover Mission (2003), the Phoenix lander (2008), and the Mars Science Laboratory (2012). For the future human space exploration, crewed Mars mission is considered as one of …

Of possible interest: Bacterial diversity among four healthcare-associated institutes in Taiwan

Quick post – paper of possible interest:: Bacterial diversity among four healthcare-associated institutes in Taiwan | Scientific Reports Abstract Indoor microbial communities have important implications for human health, especially in health-care institutes (HCIs). The factors that determine the diversity and composition of microbiomes in a built environment remain unclear. Herein, we used 16S rRNA amplicon …

American Industrial Hygiene Association covers NAS MoBE report

The NAS report on Microbiomes of the Built Environment is getting some reasonably broad reach.  For example it was picked up by the American Industrial Hygiene Association. See: Report Suggests Research Agenda for Indoor Microbiology, Human Health, and Buildings

Journal Club: Metagenomics on the Space Station

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).  …

ESBL is seeking an Associate Director of Outreach in Portland, OR!

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. …

New papers on Microbiology of the Built Environment, June 3, 2017

Microbes indoors DNA metabarcoding to assess indoor fungal communities: Electrostatic dust collectors and Illumina sequencing – Steffi Rocchi – Journal of Microbiological Methods ($39.95) Our study aimed to evaluate metabarcoding and bioinformatic analysis resulting from calibrated samples and samples collected by an electrostatic dust collector (EDC) in dwellings with no moisture problems. Thus, the fungal communities of …

Compiling a list of Microbiology of the Built Environment related presentations at ASMicrobe17

I am compiling information about presentations related to MoBE topics at the ASM Microbe 2017 meeting.  This may be useful to those attending the meeting in selecting where to go and also to those outside who might be interested presentations on MoBE topics at this meeting. If anyone knows of others, please let me know. …

Dirty money: interesting data but unclear what implications are

OK.  So money has microbes on it.  Not surprising.  And when people find out such information they frequently go overboard in the germophobia. See for example these stories from over the years 1999: Filthy Lucre – Paper Money As A Vector Of Disease 2010: Dirty money 1: Expect germs 2010: How Bad Are Germs on Money 2012: …

Recruiting editors : Citizen Science in Microbiology!

Federico Lauro, Chris Mason and I (and a few others by now) are looking for editors for a Frontiers Special Topic on Citizen Science in Microbiology. It is important to us that we assemble a diverse panel of editors before we start inviting submissions! We are especially interested in making sure that women and people …

Journal of Bacteriology minireview collection on host-microbe interactions

Just got this announcement via email and thought it might be of interest. New eBook Special Collection of JB Minreviews Dear Colleague, The microbial world is a competitive place, and bacteria have evolved diverse strategies to sense their environment and survive in it. These strategies involve acquiring necessary nutrients, particularly when inside a mammalian host, …