Today, Dr. Michael Schmidt of This Week in Microbiology and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology of the Medical University of South Carolina, joins the Quality Quorum (at a special “live audience” podcast session at the American Society for Microbiology in Atlanta, Georgia) to discuss his fascinating work with copper as an antimicrobial agent.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Michael Schmidt

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• An overview about antimicrobial copper.
• An article about the mechanism by which copper metal destroys bacteria and viruses.
• A review article about the use of copper metal to reduce disease transmission in hospitals.
• Here is an older YouTube video by Dr. Schmidt about the use of antimicrobial copper.
• A news story about Dr. Schmidt’s work with copper and disease causing organisms in hospitals.
• A recent article on this topic by Dr. Schmidt and colleagues.  
• The faculty website for Dr. Schmidt.
• The laboratory website for Dr. Schmidt (with many excellent references on this topic to peruse).

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to [email protected]

Today, Dr. Kimberly Walker, Assistant Professor and Director of Medical Diagnostics at the University of Delaware, joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss her interesting path in microbiology, from pathogenic bacteria, to predatory microbes, to Congress, to science policy, and then to educating others about medical diagnostics.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Kimberly Walker

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• An article about the wonderful Microbial Diversity Course put on by the Marine Biological Laboratories at Woods Hole Massachusetts.  
• The website for the Microbial diversity course.  Is it not beyond merely awesome?
• An essay I wrote about the late Dr. Abigail Salyers.
• An essay I wrote about the late Dr. Edward Leadbetter.
• An article on the value of mentorship in general and the challenges to be faced.  If you would like to dig deeper,  here is an entire book on the vital subject.  
• An overview about Medical Laboratory careers.
• Here is a link to the Congressional Science Fellows program, for which Dr. Walker was an aide to the late Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota.
• Here is the website for Dr. Alison Weiss, Dr. Walker’s PhD advisor, who was a wonderful mentor.
• Here is the website for Dr. Henry Williams, who was another fabulous mentor to Dr. Walker.
• Here is a link to the forensics lab for which Dr. Walker was on the Advisory Board.
• A link to Lorain County Community College, where Dr. Walker ran the MLT and Phebotomy program.
• A link to the University of Maryland Department of Medical and Research Technology, where Dr. Walker earned her degree and worked for ten years.
• Dr. Walker’s faculty website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to [email protected]

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 Park, and how ancient archaea may be the Asgard like ancestors of us all.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Roland Hatzenpichler

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• A solid video describing the archaea.
• A wonderful if dated (ASM, you need to make an updated version) video about the contributions of Carl Woese to the description of the archaea.
• An essay by yours truly about Carl Woese (and the only time I will EVER be published in the journal RNA Biology.)
• A more solid essay about Carl Woese.
• A MUST READ article by Ed Yong on the role that Norm Pace has played in understanding the microbial world.
• An article about the role Yellowstone National Park has played in microbiology.
• An article about the wonderful “underwater oasis” called “Asgard.”
• A wonderful article by Ed Yong about what could be our remote ancestors, the Lokiarcheota.  
• The first paper that was mentioned:  Carl Woese’s discovery of the archaea. 
• From the second group of articles that were mentioned:  archaea are everywhere.
• From the third group of articles that were mentioned:  archaea drive biogeochemical cycles.
• From the fourth group of articles that were mentioned:  Lokiarcheota may bridge the gap between prokaryote and eukaryote.
• A video on extremophiles from Dr. Hatzenpichler.
• Dr. Hatzenpichler’s faculty profile.
• Dr. Hatzenpichler’s quite wonderful laboratory website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to [email protected]

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 path as a microbiologist!

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Jessica Buchser

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• The video that  Dr. Jennifer Quinn and yours truly did for Harvard University’s Microbial Science Initiative this April.
• A link to the Microbial Science Initiative.
• An overview of scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
• Website for West Chester University’s Biology Department, where Jess Buchser just earned her undergraduate degree.
• The website of Dr. John Pisciotta, one of Jess Buchser’s mentors at West Chester University.
• The website of Dr. Manu Ramalho, one of Jess Buchser’s mentors at West Chester University (an prior podcast guest for #MattersMicrobial episode #32).
• The website of Dr. Seth Bordenstein, who will be Jess Bucher’s PhD advisor at Pennsylvania State University in the Fall (and also a prior podcast guest for #MattersMicrobial episode #3).
• An essay on the importance of mentors and mentorship in the microbial sciences.
• Useful resources for older and nontraditional undergraduate students in STEM fields.  Here is another essay on this topic.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to [email protected]

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

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• A video describing the surface area versus volume problem in biology.
• A wonderful introductory essay on sizes of bacteria…both big and small.
• An older review article on giant bacteria.
• A more recent review article on giant bacteria.
• A video about Epulopiscium.  
• An essay about Epulopiscium.
• An overview of Epulopiscium by Dr. Angert.
• A recent research article on Epulopiscium from Dr. Angert’s research group.
• An essay about Thiomargarita namibiensis.
• An essay about Achromatium, another giant microbe.
• An essay about the current most mammoth microbe, Thiomargarita magnifica
• A more scientific article on Thiomargarita magnifica with Dr. Angert as co-author.
• Dr. Angert’s faculty and administrative website.
• Dr. Angert’s truly wonderful laboratory website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to [email protected]

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 the rhizosphere) as a model system.  She will also remind us how vital soil is to our lives.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Jo Handlesman

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• An article on the story of “uranium glass,” that fluoresces under ultraviolet light.  Here is another interesting article on the topic.  
• The website for Hartiful, who makes custom enamel pins (including some that glow in the dark, as all cool things should).
• Giant Microbes makes small and large plush toys of microbes and other biology related items.
• An overview of ice nucleation proteins.  Here is a more technical article on the topic.
• The story of SNOWMAX.
• Ice nucleation proteins and snowflakes.
• One of my favorite videos from my microbiology class in 2008, demonstrating ice nucleation by Pseudomonas syringae.  
• The website for the Tiny Earth antibiotic crowdsourcing CURE.
• The website for Dr. Handelsman’s book, “A World Without Soil.”
• An explainer of THOR, for new micronauts.
• A technical publication from Dr. Handelsman’s research group on THOR.
• An explainer of microbial “zorbs,” for new micronauts.
• A technical publication from Dr. Handelsman’s research group on “zorbs.”
• Dr. Handelsman’s page on Wikipedia.
• Dr. Handelsman’s faculty page.
• Dr. Handelsman’s research website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to [email protected]

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 a byproduct of metabolism.  These methanogens are thus involved in climate, symbioses, biotechnology, and even astrobiology!

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Geo Santiago-Martinez

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify

Become a patron of Matters Microbial!

• An essay about how cyanobacteria changed our very planet.
• A truly wonderful and highly recommended video about Leeuwenhoek and how he was the first to “see through microbial eyes.” PLEASE WATCH THIS AMAZING VIDEO!.
• A link to the Boerhaave Museum in Amsterdam (well worth the visit!) including how to obtain a replica of the Leeuwenhoek microscope (*I* do not have one—they are awesome!).
• A video overview of the archaea.
• A review article on the archaea.
• Haloquadratum walsbyi:  a square archaean.
• Pyrodictium abyssi:  a netlike organism.
• The process of methanogenesis by archaea (focused on the gut).
• An essay describing how methanogenic archaea may impact climate change.
• The famous Volta experiment!
• An article on Methanosarcina acetivorans, studied by Dr. Santiago-Martinez and his coworkers.
• A very interesting article on methanogenesis by Dr. Santiago-Martinez.
• A wonderful video of Dr. Santiago-Martinez and his collaborators’ research.
• The Archaea Power Hour website.
• The Cientifico Latino website, increasing diversity within STEM. 
• Dr. Santiago-Martinez’s faculty website.
• Dr. Santiago-Martinez’s laboratory website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to [email protected]

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 through science.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Rachel Dutton

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• An introduction to the idea of sociomicrobiology.
• A more technical review of sociomicrobiology.
• Another more recent technical review of sociomicrobiology. 
• A popular introduction to the ideas behind microbiology and cheesemaking.
• An article about cheese microbes.
• An article about viewing fermented foods like cheese as a way to study microbial ecosystems.
• Evidence for horizontal gene transfer within cheese microbial communities.
• A wonderful video about cheese microbiology.
• A video by Dr. Dutton about her work in cheese microbiology.
• A more recent (2023) video from Dr. Dutton about her cheese community research.
• Dr. Dutton’s website on cheese microbiology.
• Dr. Ben Wolfe’s website on cheese microbiology.
• A podcast with Dr. Dutton from ASM.
• A popular article about Dr. Dutton’s work with cheese microbiology.
• Dr. Dutton’s Wikipedia page!
• An overview of Arcadia Science.
• An overview of the Astera Institute.
• Dr. Dutton’s site at Astera. 

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to [email protected]

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, and how she has used this fascinating system to teach young people about molecular biology, bioinformatics, and evolution.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Sarah Bordenstein

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify

Become a patron of Matters Microbial!

• An overview about trilobites.
• The story of Beecher’s Quarry.
• An article about the fine work of Markus Martin.
• The microbially influenced glass art of Jane Hartman.
• An overview of metagenomics as a scientific field.
• An article about finding antibiotic resistance genes in unexpected places.
• A popular article on Wolbachia by Ed Yong
• Another popular article on Wolbachia, describing the effects on their host.
• A more scientific review about Wolbachia.
• A quick video overview of the program that Professor Bordenstein and colleagues use to teach about Wolbachia and STEM.
• The “Wolbachia Project” website.
• The “Wolbachia Project Database” website.
• The Bordenstein Laboratory website.
• A prestigious award to Professor Bordenstein.
• Sarah Bordenstein’s faculty website at Penn State

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to [email protected]

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 contamination in lettuce, Dr. Barak’s work is especially timely!  She will also discuss what it is like to be a plant pathologist!

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Jeri Barak

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify

Become a patron of Matters Microbial!

• An overview of ammonite fossils.
• An article about the amazing glowing petunia.  And here is a second popular article on the Firefly Petunia. Finally, here is a more scientific article describing this achievement.
• An overview of produce contamination by Salmonella and other pathogens.   Here is another article worth your time.
• An overview of pathogens to be found in the environment.
• CDC guidelines and information about bacterial contamination of produce.
• An absolutely fabulous overview of some of the work done in Dr. Barak’s lab discussed during this episode.  It is a wonderful science-communication with art essay.  A must read for any interest level!
• A article by Dr. Barak’s group describing how a plant infection can allow human pathogens to proliferate inside of a plant.  
• Dr. Barak’s faculty website.
• Dr. Barak’s laboratory website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to [email protected]