Matters Microbial

Matters Microbial #43: New Archaea from old habitats

Today, Dr. Roland Hatzenpichler of Montana State University joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the central importance of archaea to our knowledge of the microbial world, ranging from history of their study, misconceptions about archaea, the microbiological bounty of Yellowstone National...

Matters Microbial #42: Many paths to microbiology with Jessica Buchser

Today, Jessica Buchser, graduate of West Chester University and entering PhD student at Pennsylvania State University joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss being an older student, how social media and podcasts fueled her interest in the microbial sciences, and her future...

Matters Microbial #41: Giant Bacteria: Not All Are Small! with Esther Angert

Today, Dr. Esther Angert of Cornell University joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the role her research collaborators have had studying truly gigantic bacteria, and the adaptations these enormous microbes must make to their size! Host: Mark O. Martin Guest: Esther Angert Subscribe: Apple...

Matters Microbial #40: Using THOR's hammer to investigate microbial communities

Today, Dr. Jo Handelsman of the University of Wisconsin Madison and Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the work she and her research collaborators do on interactive microbial communities, using THOR (the hitchhikers of...

Matters Microbial #39: Global flatulence: Mysterious Archaea and methane

Today, Dr. Geo Santiago-Martinez, Assistant Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology and Microbiology at the University of Connecticut joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the mysteries of the archaeal world, and how one group of these organisms produce methane gas as...

Matters Microbial #38: Microbes, cheese, and Brie-ond!

Today, Dr. Rachel Dutton, Science Resident at the Astera Institute in Berkeley, California, joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the complex (and tasty) microbial communities responsible for cheese as a model system for microbial interactions, as well as her interesting path...

Matters Microbial #37: Wolbachia and STEM: Two symbioses!

Today, Sarah Bordenstein, Associate Research Professor of Biology & Entomology at Penn State University and Director of Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project joins the  #QualityQuorum to tell us about the most successful pandemic on the planet, the fascinating endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia,...

Matters Microbial #36: Leafy microbial strangers with benefits

Today, Dr. Jeri Barak of the University of Wisconsin Madison joins the #QualityQuorum to chat about how various microbes (some of which can cause disease in humans) can gain access to  plants, sometimes via group behavior.  With media coverage of Salmonella...

Matters Microbial #35: Clostridioides difficile: From Bench to Bedside and Back Again

Today, Dr. Vincent Young of the University of Michigan Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease Division in Ann Arbor, joins the #QualityQuorum to chat about the ecology of the human gut as it relates to a serious bacterial disease...

Matters Microbial #34: Artificial gut feelings: Gut microbes and the ECM

Today, Dr. Ana Maria Porras of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida, joins the #QualityQuorum to chat about her work studying gut microbes and the gut, IBDs, representation, and even how fiber arts can inspire microbial...

Matters Microbial #33: Ancient Fats in Modern Microbes with Paula Welander

Today, Dr. Paula Welander, Associate Professor of Environmental Earth System Science at Stanford University (and #DocMartian #4) joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the work she and her colleagues are doing probing at early life by studying lipid biosignatures that can...

Matters Microbial #32: What's bugging ants, microbially speaking?

Today, Dr. Manu Ramalho of West Chester University in Pennsylvania joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the wonderful world of ants, their microbiomes, and what their intersection can teach us about our place in the natural world. Host: Mark O. Martin Guest: Manu...

Matters Microbial #31: Spirochetes do things...differently

Today, Dr. Brian Stevenson of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss a twisty twirling form of life, spirochetes, ticks, and human diseases like Lyme Disease. Host: Mark O. Martin Guest: Brian Stevenson Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify...

Matters Microbial #30: Deep (Marine Microbial) Thoughts with Jennifer Biddle

Today, Dr. Jennifer Biddle of the School of Marine Science and Policy at the University of Delaware joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss deep microbial life in marine environments (and why you should care about it), as well as her fascination...

Matters Microbial #29: Exploring cave microbiology and career paths with Hazel Barton

Today, Dr. Hazel Barton, Loper Endowed Professor of Geological Sciences at the University of Alabama,  joins the #QualityQuorum to tell us about her explorations of cave microbiology and the relationship between microbiology and geology! Host: Mark O. Martin Guest: Hazel Barton Subscribe:...

Matters Microbial #28: From Lizard Cloacal Microbes to CPG in the Business Sector with Franny Gilman

Today, Dr. Franny Gilman, Principal Scientist at the Kraft-Heinz Company (and another #DocMartian who worked in my undergraduate research lab),  joins the #QualityQuorum to tell us about the path that took her from studying the cloacal microbiome of lizards to...

Matters Microbial #27: Broccoli sprouts, gut health, and microbes for all with Dr. Sue Ishaq

Today, Dr. Sue Ishaq of the University of Maine joins the #QualityQuorum to tell us about the relationship between what we eat and our microbes, as well as making microbiology more inclusive to everyone. Host: Mark O. Martin Guest: Sue Ishaq Subscribe:...

Matters Microbial #26: Cultivating the hidden microbial majority

Today, Dr. Cameron Thrash of the University of Southern California will discuss marine microbiology, an extremely…ubiquitous…microbe (with a name every #Micronaut should know!), conducting research at sea, and his path in science. Host: Mark O. Martin Guest: Cameron Thrash Subscribe: Apple...

Matters Microbial #25: Gut feelings about phage and the gut microbiome

Today, Dr. Danielle Campbell (and former #DocMartian!), a postdoctoral scholar of the Baldridge group at Washington University in St. Louis, will share her research into the relationship between bacteriophage and the gut microbiome…as well as chat about her path in...

Matters Microbial #24: It takes a quorum to cause disease

Today, Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Julia van Kessel of Indiana University will chat with us about how groups of bacteria can sense one another and carry out behavior as a collective…including some kinds of disease! Host: Mark O. Martin Guest: Julia...

Matters Microbial #23: Fungi: Cool Friends and Looming Foes

Today, the impressive Dr. Arturo Casadevall of Johns Hopkins University will joint #MattersMicrobial to discuss his path in science, how fungi need more study, that some fungi are literally cool, and others a looming threat.  Host: Mark O. Martin Guest: Arturo...

Matters Microbial #22: A microbial path through the graduate school maze with Lauren Augusta

Today my former undergraduate student Lauren Augusta, currently in a PhD program in Microbiology at the University of Indiana, joins the podcast to chat about how she chose her career path in the microbial sciences, and her future path. Host: Mark...

Matters Microbial #21: Microbes, mermaids and coral reefs with Chris Kellogg

Today Dr. Christina Kellogg of the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg Florida chats with the podcast about her many diverse adventures in marine microbial ecology! It’s quite a high energy microbial journey! Host: Mark O....

Matters Microbial #20: Who You Calling Weird?  Diving into Microbes at the Bottom of the Ocean

Matters Microbial #19: You are what you(r microbes) eat

Today Dr. Suzanne Devkota of the Cedars-Sinai Division of Gastronterology and Director of the Cedars Sinai Human Microbiome Research Institute will tell us about the role that our diet plays in the gut microbiome, and how that can impact health. ...

Matters Microbial #18: The Perfect Predator: Why Phage is Rage

Today Dr. Steffanie Strathdee, Associate Dean of Global Health Sciences at UC San Diego and Co-Director at the Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics, will chat with us about how bacteriophages—viruses that attack bacteria—changed her life and are becoming...

Matters Microbial #17: Evolution in action for everyone with Vaughn Cooper

Today Dr. Vaughn Cooper, Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh, will chat with us about how he and his team teach high school students and undergraduates about evolution occurring in real time—using...

Matters Microbial #16: What’s bugging the fruit fly microbiome?

Today Dr. Nichole Broderick, Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at Johns Hopkins University, will chat with us about how the study of the fruit fly microbiome can give us insights into human health and disease. Host: Mark O. Martin Guest...

Matters Microbial #15: A Gut Feeling About Precision Medicine

Today Dr. Sean Gibbons, Associate Professor at the Institute for Systems Biology, will chat with us about how the study of host-associated microbial communities can give us insights into evolution, ecology, and even human health. Host: Mark O. Martin Guest: Dr....

Matters Microbial #14: An inordinate fondness for viruses with Jack Gilbert

Today Dr. Jack Gilbert, Professor of Pediatrics and of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, chats with us about his MANY interests in microbiology, from human health to marine environments. Host: Mark O. Martin Guest: Jack Gilbert Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify Become a patron of Matters...

Matters Microbial #13: (Magnetically) attractive bacteria with Arash Komeili

Today Dr. Arash Komeili, professor of plant and microbial biology at UC Berkeley, joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss compartmentalization in bacteria, and the amazing world of living magnets—the magnetotactic bacteria! Host: Mark O. Martin Guest: Arash Komeili Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify Become...

Matters Microbial #12: Shedding light on symbiosis with Ruth Isenberg

Today Dr. Ruth Isenberg, postdoctoral scholar (and former #DocMartian!) in the Willett Lab at the University of Minnesota, will tell us about her first generation path in science, the squid-Vibrio symbiosis work she did for her PhD, and her current...

Matters Microbial #11: Viruses from hell with Ken Stedman

Today Dr. Ken Stedman, Professor of Biology at Portland State University, tells us about the strange and wonderful viruses of heat loving extremophilic archaea—truly viruses from Hell! Host: Mark O. Martin Guest: Ken Stedman Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify Become a patron of Matters Microbial! Links...

Matters Microbial #10: Bacterial fight club

Today Dr. David Baltrus, Associate Professor of Plant Sciences at the University of Arizona, talks with us about how his laboratory studies bacteria that battle one another; the first rule of this fight club is that EVERYONE talks about Microbial...

Matters Microbial #9: Colorful microbes, citizen science, and tools for all

Today Sebastian Cocioba, a citizen scientist with myriad interests, talks with us about his path in science, some of the tools he has made for others, and how he views science and scientists.  Host: Mark O. Martin Guest: Sebastian Cocioba Subscribe: ...

Matters Microbial #8: Who goes there? Going deep in the Pine Barrens with Lauren Seyler

Microbes are everywhere and do remarkable things—-like breathing metal! Lauren Seyler joins us today to discuss the microbial mysteries of New Jersey’s Pine Barrens. Host: Mark O. Martin Guest: Lauren Seyler Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify Become a patron of Matters Microbial! Links for this episode...

Matters Microbial #7: Microbiology from the refrigerator with Elinne Becket

We exist in a sea of microbes, it is true. We only need to look. And Dr. Elinne Becket of California State University  San Marcos, joins Mark to describe some of the work she and her undergraduate colleagues are doing....

Matters Microbial #6: What's the buzz on honeybee microbes? With Irene Newton

It is true that microbes are everywhere, and have impacts and applications that are often unexpected. Today, a true microbial force of nature visits Matters Microbial: Dr. Irene Newton of the Biology Department of the University of Indiana. Irene will...

Matters Microbial #5: Mothers, Microbes, and Dung Beetles

It’s interesting to think about the microbes in and on us—some of which are vital to our well being—and how we came to possess them. Mark introduces Dr. Anne Estes of Towson University, who will discuss this very topic as...

Matters Microbial #4: Extreme Microbial Closeups: Cryo-EM and Fine Structure of Microbes with Ariane Briegel

Everyone thinks microbes are very small, and most of them are. But how to see them? The microscope opened a whole new world to the observer, starting with the Dutch microbiologist Antonie van Leeuvenhoek. But photographs and peering through lenses...

Matters Microbial #3: How much of you is microbial? With Seth Bordenstein

Who are you? Human or a group of microbes? Mark discusses this with this with Dr. Seth Bordenstein of Penn State. Seth teaches Mark about a new word, holobiont, and the most successful pandemic in history (of invertebrates) that may...

Matters Microbial #2: Shock and awe microbiology and a chat with Mya Breitbart

Mark discusses some “shock and awe” concepts about the microbial world that he introduces to his microbiology students, and asks three important questions about microbiology and microbiologists with guest Dr. Mya Breitbart of the University of South Florida. Host: Mark O....

Matters Microbial #1: A microbiological introduction and a chat with Vincent Racaniello

In the first episode of Matters Microbial, Mark introduces himself and his history, talks a bit about his goals for this podcast, then asks three important questions about microbiology and microbiologists with his first guest, Vincent Racaniello. Host: Mark O. Martin...