Recent Built Environment Microbiology papers, June 3, 2015

New “Built Environment” papers that came out in the last couple of days, covering microbes in indoor air, flooded areas in Thailand, and on money bills. Chamber Bioaerosol Study: Outdoor Air and Human Occupants as Sources of Indoor Airborne Microbes – Rachel I. Adams – PLOS ONE ..we used DNA sequencing of filter samples to assess the …

Recent Built Environment Microbiology papers

Some recent scientific papers and popular science articles that I already included on my daily MicrobiomeDigest blog, but that I would like to share here as well.  Feasibility study involving the search for natural strains of microorganisms capable of degrading graffiti from heritage materials – Patricia Sanmartín – International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation A total of 54 different …

Birth: The intersection of biology and buildings

As the oldest daughter of 3rd generation HVAC/plumbing/electrical small business owners, I held my share of flashlights on service calls and even wrapped ductwork one summer. I loved fiddling and building with the different tools, left-over bits of copper tubing, and other miscellaneous tidbits from jobs.  But my heart was more into asking questions about living …

Household air microbial community resembles that of household surface and occupant’s skin? Maybe, maybe not…

Household air microbial community resembles that of household surface and occupant’s skin? Maybe, maybe not… By Marcus Leung (Twitter @leungmarcus) Indoor microbial communities, such as those found in indoor air and indoor surfaces, have been shown to be closely connected to microbial assemblages on humans. Also, re-suspension of house dust from surfaces following routine residential …

Gut check: the ecology of keeping time

There are few constants in this world. One exception, however, is the passing of day to night, which has gone on without fail since life first emerged on Earth. Early life quickly learned to anticipate changes associated with light and dark. This ability to tell time – to peer into the immediate future – was …

MetaSUB: First International Summit of Metagenomics & Metadesign of Subways and Urban Biomes

Get ready for a microbiome and metagenome festival in NYC! We are excited to announce the first international summit on metagenomics and metadesign of subways and urban biomes (MetaSUB), held in New York City (NYC) on June 20, 2015, at the New York Genome Center (NYGC). This will be held right after a related meeting at …

“Microbes in the City” meeting looks awesome

Just got wind of this upcoming meeting, “Microbes in the City: Mapping the Urban Genome” that looks like it has a fantastic series of talks lined up.   The meeting is a single day, June 19th, and is hosted by The New York Academy of Sciences and New York University.  From the conference website, here’s the …

Archived Newsletter April 2013

Welcome to microBEnet News April 2013  Resource of the Month Focusing on resources found on microBE.net   This month we would like to draw attention to our collection of “Indoor Environment Web Resources”. This is quite a bit shorter than our comparable collection of “Microbiology Web Resources” so we would love any additional suggestions!   …

Archived Newsletter May 2013

Welcome to microBEnet News May 2013  MicroBEnet Blogs A brief summary of the recent topics posted on microBE.net   A few guest posts this month which is great!  We started off with Walking in the footsteps of van Leeuwenhoek by Keith Seifert.   Other guest posts included a software carpentry workshop summary by Jenna Lang and …

Archived Newsletter April 2014

MicroBEnet Blogs A summary of the recent topics posted on microBE.net As usual, our blog posts spanned a wide range of topics relevant to the microbiology of the built environment, ranging from kitchens to space stations. Featured overview: Project MERCCURI Project MERCCURI (#spacemicrobes) set to launch this Sunday morning Educator Guide for Project MERCCURI (#spacemicrobes) …