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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From ASMCUE 2024, the conference on undergraduate education, TWiM speaks with Becky, Melanie, and Katriana about their careers and how they use TWiM in undergraduate microbiology education.

Hosts: Michael Schmidt and Mark O. Martin

Guests: Becky Seipel-Thiemann, Melanie Melendrez-Vallard, and Katriana Popichak

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

• Take the TWiM Listener survey!

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TWiM describes how to make concrete more ‘green’ by using microbes, and bacterial bioluminescence as an important regulator of multitrophic interactions in the soil.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson and and Mark O. Martin.

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

• Construction nanobiotechnology for concrete (Appl Env Micro)
• Self-healing concrete (Sci Tot Environ)
• Microbe-inspired self-healing concrete (Front Struct Civil Eng)
• Bacterial bioluminescence regulates multitrophic interactions in the soil (Cell Rep)
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TWiM explains how ticagrelor alters the membrane of S. aureus and enhances the activity of vancomycin and daptomycin without eliciting cross-resistance, and the development of a novel continuous disinfectant technology that decreases healthcare-associated infections in ICUs by 70%.

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

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• Ticagrelor and S. aureus (mBio)
• Novel disinfectant technology (Am J Inf Control)
• UVC-LED to inactivate foodborne pathogens (Appl Envir Micro)
• UV disinfection systems (ACS Photonics)
• High-touch surfaces in specialized patient care area (CDC)
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