Joyful Microbe

Dr. Jake Robinson is a microbial ecologist at Flinders University and researches microbes, ecosystems, social equity issues, and ways to conserve and restore nature. He studies how microbes can benefit human health and not just cause disease. He is also the author of the new book Invisible Friends. He came on the podcast to discuss a variety of topics, including the following:

• The importance of microbes for building a strong immune system
• Balancing microbial exposure and targeted hygiene
• How microbes in nature can enhance human health (read more here)
• What forensic microbiology is (read more here)
• Applications of forensic microbiology
• His book Invisible Friends (read more here)
• At-home microbiology activity: Forensic microbiology trace evidence (find the activity here)

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We are celebrating, microbe friends! This month marks the 4th anniversary of Joyful Microbe!!! I’ve had such a blast creating articles, podcast episodes, and other resources to help you enjoy microbes in your daily lives and spread knowledge about the microbial world with others.

In this episode, I’m featuring ideas and tips about microbiology education from folks in the Joyful Microbe Community! You all came up with some great ideas: fun ways you’ve explored or learned about the microbial world at home and ways you’ve engaged your students about microbes.

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A vast number of microbes live on our skin, in our gut, and almost everywhere else you can imagine on and in our bodies. Collectively, these microbes are called the human microbiome and play a crucial role in our health and well-being. Different locations on our bodies contain a specific set of microbes, which are individual microbiomes, i.e., the gut microbiome, skin microbiome, and oral microbiome. The skin microbiome is a relatively less researched microbiome on our bodies but is incredibly important for the health of this protective outer barrier.

On the podcast, I talked to Dr. Julie O’Sullivan, a skin microbiome researcher at APC microbiome at the University of College Cork in Ireland, about how these microbes keep us healthy and how when they get out of balance can cause issues like eczema and acne. She also gives us some practical tips for maintaining a healthy skin microbiome and shares her thoughts on skin microbiome tests.

Topics covered in this episode:

• What is the skin microbiome?
• How does the skin microbiome keep us healthy?
• How are microbes involved in eczema and acne?
• Gut-skin axis
• Microbiome-friendly skincare
• Practical tips for maintaining a healthy skin microbiome
• Skin microbiome tests
• At-home microbiology activity: Hand washing and skin microbes

JOYFUL MICROBE SHOW NOTES: https://joyfulmicrobe.com/skin-microbiome-julie-osullivan/

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Tardigrades are beloved microorganisms. These little water bears hide in moss, lichen, and bark of trees. When kids discover tardigrades, it often sparks an interest in science. If you haven’t personally experienced finding a tardigrade under the microscope, I promise it makes a significant impact.

In this podcast episode, you’ll get the chance to learn about tardigrades from Dr. Sandeep Eswarappa, who studies these delightful organisms in his laboratory. After listening to the interview, you’ll see that he has a clear passion for the microbial world. So, you’re sure to enjoy this episode of the podcast.

Topics covered in this episode:

• What are tardigrades?
• Where can you find tardigrades?
• What other organisms live in the same places as tardigrades?
• What do tardigrades eat?
• Tardigrade life stages
• Are tardigrades immortal?
• Applications of tardigrades survival in extreme conditions
• At-home microbiology activity: Watch tardigrades emerge from tun to active state

JOYFUL MICROBE SHOW NOTES: https://joyfulmicrobe.com/tardigrades-sandeep-eswarappa/

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Fermented foods like beer, wine, bread, sauerkraut, yogurt, and kombucha are delicious to eat and fun to make at home. And we can give credit to microbes for the wonderful flavors of these foods. The process of fermentation is when microbes transform food so that it extends its shelf life, improves the taste, or makes it beneficial to consume. 

In this podcast episode, I talk with Dr. John Leech, a scientist who studies fermented foods at MASTER, APC, Teagasc, and University College Cork in Ireland. We talk all about these delicious foods, the microbes in them, as well as the health benefits of consuming them. 

Topics covered in this episode:

• What are fermented foods, and what is fermentation?
• Why eating fermented foods is worth doing?
• What microbes are typically found in fermented foods?
• What are the health benefits of fermented foods?
• Do fermented foods contain probiotics?
• Do fermented foods alter the microbiome?
• Can we get sick from home fermented foods?
• At-home microbiology activity: How To Make Sauerkraut

JOYFUL MICROBE SHOW NOTES: https://joyfulmicrobe.com/fermented-foods-john-leech/

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The K-12 curriculum does not cover microbiology much at all. But this area of science matters. Children need a complete understanding of the microorganisms that play roles in our health, like the microbiome, and diseases, like germs. That way, they’ll carry these concepts into adulthood, ultimately helping keep them healthier.

Despite the lack of microbiology education in K-12, some high schools offer full microbiology courses. So, to learn more about what it’s like teaching microbiology at the K-12 level, I talked to high school microbiology teacher Jessica Popescu.

Whether you’re an educator, microbiologist, or science enthusiast, you’ll find something interesting in this episode of the Joyful Microbe podcast.

Topics covered in this episode:

• how to introduce students to microbiology and the different types of microbes
• techniques for engaging students
• how project-based classes help students experience science
• how microbiologists can help high school educators
• hands-on microbiology activities for high school students
• microbiology classroom activity

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How do you explain microbiology to a child? 

It’s an abstract topic since you can’t readily see microbes due to their size. So, to help your kids visualize microbes, you can read them a children’s book specifically about microbiology. 

I’ve featured a few excellent microbiology books for kids before on Joyful Microbe. But after I found out about Dr. Mike Manefield, a microbiologist who writes children’s microbiology books, I knew I needed to chat with him. He’s a full-time professor at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and writes these incredible books as a hobby. His publishing company is called Micronovo.

His desire with these books is to communicate the complex stuff of microbiology and share it with his friends, family, especially his children, and the world so they can understand why the microbes are so cool.

Grab one of these microbiology books written by a microbiologist to help your kids understand the importance of microbes in our world. Learning the concepts from these books will equip them early in life with a well-rounded view of the microbial world, seeing both the good and the bad, so they can make educated, science-based decisions as they grow.

Topics covered In this episode:

• Micronovo: books about microbiology for children
• The microbial stars of the books
• A summary of three Micronovo books
• At-home microbiology activity: biodegradation

JOYFUL MICROBE SHOW NOTES: https://joyfulmicrobe.com/kids-microbiology-books-mike-manefield/

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The words bacteria and beauty are not usually associated. But some bacteria make beautiful colors that span the entire rainbow. And one type of bacteria called Streptomyces coelicolor makes an antibiotic with a lovely blue pigment. This blue-colored antibiotic, called actinorhodin, inspired microbiologist Dr. Vineetha Zacharia, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley studying this soil bacterium, to use it like watercolor paint to create art. 

So, read on or listen to the podcast episode to learn about her work with Streptomyces coelicolor and how she got into what she calls “Actino Art.”

Topics covered in this episode:

• Streptomyces coelicolor, a colorful bacterium
• Life cycle and cell types
• Antibiotics and other helpful chemicals Streptomyces produce
• Painting with antibiotics
• At-home microbiology activity: Actino Art

JOYFUL MICROBE SHOW NOTES: https://joyfulmicrobe.com/bacteria-paint-vineetha/

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Dr. Sarah Wettstadt is the founder of the BacterialWorld blog and loves sharing about bacteria and all of the amazing things they do in the world. So I know you’ll enjoy hearing this episode where we talk about the superpowers bacteria have and how bacteria can help us save the world.

In this episode, you will learn about…

• 4 bacterial superpowers
• 3 ways bacteria can help save the planet
• How bacteria impact our daily lives
• Why not all microbes are bad

JOYFUL MICROBE SHOW NOTES: https://joyfulmicrobe.com/bacteria-superpowers-sarah-wettstadt/

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FREE GUIDE 7 Ways to Enjoy Microbes in Your Daily Life: https://joyfulmicrobe.com/daily-lives-guide/

If it rained where you are today, you may have noticed that delightful earthy smell. It’s wonderful, right? Well, you can thank microbes for making a chemical called geosmin.

But what is geosmin, what microbes make it, and why? Here, I’ll answer those questions, share a few places you may encounter geosmin without realizing it, and hopefully not disappoint you too much when I reveal the context where geosmin can be a problem. After listening to this episode, you’ll be armed with detailed knowledge about this microbially-produced perfume that you can share with your friends so they too can find delight in the microbial world.

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GEOSMIN MERCH: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/92355353/