Two key goals of microBEnet are to bridge the gap between microbiologists and building scientists, as well as to educate the public about the microbiology of the built environment. To that end we are creating a series of “simple guides” that explain relevant pieces of microbiology or of building science. These are not designed to be read sequentially, each one stands more or less alone.
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| Microbial Ecology in the Built Environment | This serves as a basic introduction for non-biologists to the concept of “microbial ecology”. In particular we focus on the relevance of microbial ecology to the built environment. |
| DNA-RNA-Protein | This guide explains some basic concepts of molecular biology. It discusses DNA, how DNA is made into RNA (transcription) and how RNA is made into protein (translation). This is also where we introduce ribosomal RNA (rRNA) |
| Ribosomal RNA (rRNA): The details | Here we get into the details of ribosomal RNA, what it does and why we use it as a marker for DNA-based environmental microbiology surveys. |
| Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) in evolutionary studies and environmental sampling | This is where we discuss variation in rRNA sequences, and what we have learned from studying them |
| Microbial Myths | Here we briefly address a series of common misconceptions about microbes in the built environment |
| Building Ecology | This document discussed the concept of “building ecology” where a building is viewed as a dynamic entity with chemical, physical as well as biological dimensions |