Another “more germs than a toilet seat” study and resultant media explosion

I’m torn between wanting to ignore this story and wanting to attack the media reports on the study.   I think I’ll compromise on a minimum set of complaints. Firstly, the paper itself (“Deposition of respiratory virus pathogens on frequently touched surfaces at airports“) is more or less fine.   The authors used real-time PCR to look …

The Bath Toy Microbiome

I just got pointed to this article today “Ugly Ducklings – the dark side of plastic materials in contact with potable water“, along with the accompanying commentary “About duck, pipes, and microbiomes“.  I think this is a fascinating study for a few reasons.  Firstly, like probably most parents, I observed and wondered about the biofilms …

“Life in the “Plastisphere”: Microbial Communities on Plastic Marine Debris”

Giant piles of plastic floating in the ocean might not be what most people think of when they hear the phrase “built environment”… but hey, we built it! Turns out that this “plastisphere” has it’s own microbiome, distinct from the seawater around it.  Not surprisingly of course, but cool that someone is looking.   Abstract below, …