This episode: Worm parasites infecting brine shrimp help them survive better in arsenic-polluted environments!

Download Episode (7.9 MB, 8.6 minutes)

Show notes:
News item

Journal Paper:
Sánchez MI, Pons I, Martínez-Haro M, Taggart MA, Lenormand T, Green AJ. 2016. When Parasites Are Good for Health: Cestode Parasitism Increases Resistance to Arsenic in Brine Shrimps. PLOS Pathog 12:e1005459.

Other interesting stories:

• French company trying to create lighting using bacteria (paywall)
• Generating electricity with clever bio-solar panels
• Microbiome proteins don't change much, not affected by probiotics (paper)
• Microbes are important for tasty food
• Plants can withhold food from uncooperative fungal symbionts

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

Subscribe at iTunes or Google Play, support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

This episode: Worm parasites infecting brine shrimp help them survive better in arsenic-polluted environments!

Download Episode (7.9 MB, 8.6 minutes)

Show notes:
News item

Journal Paper:
Sánchez MI, Pons I, Martínez-Haro M, Taggart MA, Lenormand T, Green AJ. 2016. When Parasites Are Good for Health: Cestode Parasitism Increases Resistance to Arsenic in Brine Shrimps. PLOS Pathog 12:e1005459.

Other interesting stories:

• French company trying to create lighting using bacteria (paywall)
• Generating electricity with clever bio-solar panels
• Microbiome proteins don't change much, not affected by probiotics (paper)
• Microbes are important for tasty food
• Plants can withhold food from uncooperative fungal symbionts

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

Subscribe at iTunes or Google Play, support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

This episode: Slime molds have special cells that capture and kill bacteria using traps made of DNA!

Download Episode (11.2 MB, 12.25 minutes)

Show notes:
Follow-up study from ep 255 group related to this study

Link to Audiommunity episode about Neutrophil Extracellular Traps

Journal Paper:
Zhang X, Zhuchenko O, Kuspa A, Soldati T. 2016. Social amoebae trap and kill bacteria by casting DNA nets. Nat Commun 7:10938.

Other interesting stories:

• Making E. coli produce propane fuel (paper)
• Bacteria can convert algae directly into ethanol (paper)
• Certain chronic virus infections could indicate your family history
• Viruses can transfer pigment production ability between bacteria
• Different sizes of bacteria impose different limitations

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

Subscribe at iTunes or Google Play, support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

This episode: Slime molds have special cells that capture and kill bacteria using traps made of DNA!

Download Episode (11.2 MB, 12.25 minutes)

Show notes:
Follow-up study from ep 255 group related to this study

Link to Audiommunity episode about Neutrophil Extracellular Traps

Journal Paper:
Zhang X, Zhuchenko O, Kuspa A, Soldati T. 2016. Social amoebae trap and kill bacteria by casting DNA nets. Nat Commun 7:10938.

Other interesting stories:

• Making E. coli produce propane fuel (paper)
• Bacteria can convert algae directly into ethanol (paper)
• Certain chronic virus infections could indicate your family history
• Viruses can transfer pigment production ability between bacteria
• Different sizes of bacteria impose different limitations

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

Subscribe at iTunes or Google Play, support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

This episode: Insect gut microbes can be engineered to act as birth control, population control, or disease control for bugs!

Download Episode (13.3 MB, 14.5 minutes)

Show notes:
News item

This Week in Parasitism episode about Trypanosoma
Unedited statement about this paper from Professor Dyson

Journal Paper:
Whitten MMA, Facey PD, Sol RD, Fernández-Martínez LT, Evans MC, Mitchell JJ, Bodger OG, Dyson PJ. 2016. Symbiont-mediated RNA interference in insects. Proc R Soc B 283:20160042.

Other interesting stories:

• Various different yeasts help make coffee and chocolate
• Maybe treating endangered animals for parasites is not a good idea
• Empty virus could be useful for carrying things to specific places
• Fungus treatment could help make more environment-friendly fiberboard (paper)
• Algae can count how many times they've divided

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

Subscribe at iTunes or Google Play, support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

This episode: Insect gut microbes can be engineered to act as birth control, population control, or disease control for bugs!

Download Episode (13.3 MB, 14.5 minutes)

Show notes:
News item

This Week in Parasitism episode about Trypanosoma
Unedited statement about this paper from Professor Dyson

Journal Paper:
Whitten MMA, Facey PD, Sol RD, Fernández-Martínez LT, Evans MC, Mitchell JJ, Bodger OG, Dyson PJ. 2016. Symbiont-mediated RNA interference in insects. Proc R Soc B 283:20160042.

Other interesting stories:

• Various different yeasts help make coffee and chocolate
• Maybe treating endangered animals for parasites is not a good idea
• Empty virus could be useful for carrying things to specific places
• Fungus treatment could help make more environment-friendly fiberboard (paper)
• Algae can count how many times they've divided

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

Subscribe at iTunes or Google Play, support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

This episode: Killing pathogens by attaching magnetotactic bacteria to them and then raising the heat with magnetic fields!

Download Episode (10.6 MB, 11.6 minutes)

Show notes:
News item

Journal Paper:
Chen C, Chen L, Yi Y, Chen C, Wu L-F, Song T. 2016. Killing of Staphylococcus aureus via Magnetic Hyperthermia Mediated by Magnetotactic Bacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 82:2219–2226.

Other interesting stories:

• Plant root symbiont that degrades plastic pollutants (paper)
• Phages can kill pathogens in gut without affecting other microbes (paper)
• Mouth bacteria could inhibit other cavity-forming microbes (paper)
• Plant accepts help from fungus only when necessary
• Bacteria seem involved in forming deposits of platinum metals

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

Subscribe at iTunes or Google Play, support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

This episode: Killing pathogens by attaching magnetotactic bacteria to them and then raising the heat with magnetic fields!

Download Episode (10.6 MB, 11.6 minutes)

Show notes:
News item

Journal Paper:
Chen C, Chen L, Yi Y, Chen C, Wu L-F, Song T. 2016. Killing of Staphylococcus aureus via Magnetic Hyperthermia Mediated by Magnetotactic Bacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 82:2219–2226.

Other interesting stories:

• Plant root symbiont that degrades plastic pollutants (paper)
• Phages can kill pathogens in gut without affecting other microbes (paper)
• Mouth bacteria could inhibit other cavity-forming microbes (paper)
• Plant accepts help from fungus only when necessary
• Bacteria seem involved in forming deposits of platinum metals

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

Subscribe at iTunes or Google Play, support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

This episode: Spherical cyanobacterium Synechocystis acts like a tiny eyeball in sensing light, allowing cells to move closer to light sources!

Download Episode (9.7 MB, 10.6 minutes)

Show notes:
News item

Video 1: Synechocystis cells moving toward light sources
Video 2: Synechocystis cells avoiding point of bright light on surface

Journal Paper:
Schuergers N, Lenn T, Kampmann R, Meissner MV, Esteves T, Temerinac-Ott M, Korvink JG, Lowe AR, Mullineaux CW, Wilde A. 2016. Cyanobacteria use micro-optics to sense light direction. eLife 5:e12620.

Other interesting stories:

• Discovering how to get more biofuels out of algae
• Bacteria could help prevent cavities
• Probiotic carrying virus in its genome fights pathogens better than without virus (paper)
• Giving probiotic to pregnant mice influences immune system of babies (paper)
• Combined phage and probiotics could treat E. coli infections (paper)

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

Subscribe at iTunes or Google Play, check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

This episode: Spherical cyanobacterium Synechocystis acts like a tiny eyeball in sensing light, allowing cells to move closer to light sources!

Download Episode (9.7 MB, 10.6 minutes)

Show notes:
News item

Video 1: Synechocystis cells moving toward light sources
Video 2: Synechocystis cells avoiding point of bright light on surface

Journal Paper:
Schuergers N, Lenn T, Kampmann R, Meissner MV, Esteves T, Temerinac-Ott M, Korvink JG, Lowe AR, Mullineaux CW, Wilde A. 2016. Cyanobacteria use micro-optics to sense light direction. eLife 5:e12620.

Other interesting stories:

• Discovering how to get more biofuels out of algae
• Bacteria could help prevent cavities
• Probiotic carrying virus in its genome fights pathogens better than without virus (paper)
• Giving probiotic to pregnant mice influences immune system of babies (paper)
• Combined phage and probiotics could treat E. coli infections (paper)

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

Subscribe at iTunes or Google Play, check out the show at Twitter or Facebook