TWiM describes how microbiological analysis of the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn has revealed an antimicrobial resistance reservoir and bioremediation potential, and fungicide resistance in Fusarium graminearum, the fungus recently smuggled into the US.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Petra Levin.

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Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

• Microbiology of the Gowanus Canal (J. Appl. Micro)
• Microbes clean up Gowanus (BrooklynPaper)
• Fungicide resistance in Fusarium (Pathogens)
• Couple smuggles fungal pathogen into US (NBC)
• Fusarium and wheat-management strategies (Pathogens)
• Laboratory Biosafety (pdf)
• NIH Biosafety (NIH)
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TWiM explains how a mutualistic model bacterium can become lethal in a non-symbiotic host, and engineering a kill switch into a tuberculosis vaccine for improved safety.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson.

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Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

• When a mutualist becomes lethal (mBio)
• A lasting symbiosis (Nat Rev Micro)
• A kill switch for BCG (Nat Micro)
• Engineering mycobacteria for vaccination (Nat Micro)
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TWiM explains a study of the unique and extreme microbial and chemical environment on the International Space Station, and the connection between the gut microbiome and pain in fibromyalgia.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Michele Swanson.

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Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

• ISS chemical and microbial environment (Cell)
• Gut microbiota and fibromyalgia pain (Neuron)
• Gut pain eases after doses of gut microbes (Nature)
• Skin innervation and fibromyalgia pain (Ann Neurol)
• Altered microbiome in fibromyalgia (Pain)
• Intestinal microbiome and fibromyalgia (Intl J Rheum Dis)
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TWiM describes isolation of a novel bacterial species isolated from the China Space Station, and how a chemical radar allows bacteria to detect and kill predators.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Petra Levin.

Guest Mark O. Martin.

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Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

• Niallia tiangongensis from the China Space Station (Int J Syst Evol Biol)
• Bacterial chemical radar (Cell)
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TWiM explains how to recode E. coli so it uses only one stop codon, and an exploration of the mechanisms of bacterial adhesion within dental plaque.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson.

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Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

• Engineering E. coli with one stop codon (Nature)
• Bacterial adhesion in dental plaque (mBio)
• Microbial complexes in subgingival plaque (J Clin Periodontol)
• Bacterial clusters in periodontal and peri-implant diseases (Microorg)
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TWiM explains Pasteur’s relentless hunt for microbes in the air, and how bacteria hunt for prey by ixotrophy - using grappling hooks!

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson.

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Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

• Pasteur’s hunt for microbes in the air (NYTimes)
• Bacterial predation by ixotrophy (Science)
• Enter the pirates (STC)
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TWiM describes Shigella infection is facilitated by interaction of human enteric α-defensin 5 with a colonic epithelial receptor, and an amino acid change in RNA polymerase that leads to resistance to β-lactams by preventing dysregulation of amino acid and nucleotide metabolism

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson.

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Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

• National Black HIV/AIDS awareness day (CDC)
• Shigella infection and human enteric alpha-defensin 5 (Nature Microbio)
• RNA polymerase amino acid change and resistance to beta-lactams (Cell Rep)
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TWiM explains the remarkable abilities of bacterial ice nucleating proteins to promote freezing of water, and cryoprotective proteins produced by worm microbiomes that prevent freezing.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson.

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Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

• Worm microbiomes produce crytoprotective proteins (Sci Adv)
• Biological antifreeze in Antarctic fishes (Sciece)
• Enhancement of bacterial ice nucleators (PNAS)
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TWiM explores the discovery of microbial enzymes, PETases, that can degrade ubiquitous plastics, and how exogenous peptidoglycan is a danger signal to trigger biofilm formation.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson.

Guest Mark O. Martin.

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Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

• Discovery of PET depolymerases (Science)
• Exogenous peptidoglycan triggers biofilm formation (Nat Micro)
• What is a biofilm? (Vimeo)
• Peptidoglycan as a PAMP/MAMP (Immunol Rev)
• Light organ formation triggered by peptidoglycan (Science)
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TWiM reveals that record high atmospheric methane growth has been driven by microbes, and the cecum as an adaptive niche for Salmonella typhi.

Hosts: Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson.

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Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

• Why a potent greenhouse gas is rising (WaPo)
• Microbial emissions drove record high atmospheric methane growth (PNAS)
• Salmonella biofilm formation in the cecum (mBio)
• Typhoid Mary (The Collector)
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