Podcasts about msphere

Manuel Martinez Garcia, Ph.D., a professor of microbiology in the Physiology, Genetics and Microbiology Department at the University of Alicante in Spain, paints a picture of what microbial life looked like thousands of years ago by analyzing microbial genomic signatures within ice cores collected from the Antarctic ice shelves in the 1990s.  Links for the Episode  New avenues for potentially seeking microbial responses to climate change beneath Antarctic ice shelves – mSphere paper.  Viruses under the Antarctic Ice Shelf are active and potentially involved in global nutrient cycles – Nature communications article.  Manuel Martinez Garcia's Lab website.  How stable is the West Antarctic Ice Shelf? – Press Release from Alfred Wegener Institute. Take the MTM listener survey! Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/CHCMO74_gIY Ashley's Biggest Takeaways There is a unique habitat beneath Antarctic ice shelves, where microbes live without light and rely on unusual energy sources.  Ice cores from these Antarctic ice shelves can preserve fossilized genomic records of microbial life from long ago.  Comparing past and present samples can help us understand how microbial life is responding to environmental stressors, like temperature changes and acidification, over time. It can also provide key insights to changes in biodiversity. Featured Quotes:  Motivation for the Research Ice shelves are like massive floating ice that are in Antarctica, mainly. They can be as big as, for example, France, the country. So, they are super big—they are enormous. And they can be as thick as, let's say, 1000 meters. So, this is a massive [piece of] ice that we have in our planet.   And beneath that massive ice, we can have a very peculiar and a special habitat in which microbes live without light. They have to manage, to thrive and reproduce, without using a standard energy like we have on the surface of the sea or in the forest, where we have light that is driving and providing the energy for the ecosystem. But in this case, these ecosystems are totally different.  [The ice shelves] are deep and interconnected. Basically, there are different oceanic currents, for example, there is one Circumpolar Current that surrounds Antarctica, and there are also other currents that basically go from the bottom to the surface, moving, you know, all the water masses.  The interesting part of this story is that every single second in our lives, this sea that is beneath the platform, the ice shelf, is frozen over and over, and then we have different layers of antiquity that preserve the microbes that are living in the ocean. So, for example, let's say, 1000 years ago, the sea water was frozen, and then we can find a layer beneath the Antarctica ice shelf, where these microbes are preserved and frozen. Basically, it's like a record—a library of microbes, fossil records of microbes—from the past ocean, from 1000 years ago until present, more or less.  And then we can go to these records, to these layers of frozen sea water, and pick these samples to somehow recover the genetic material of the microbes that were preserved and frozen 1000 years ago or 500 years ago, in the way that we can somehow reconstruct or build the genetic story of the microbes from the past, for example, pre-industrial revolution to present.  We need to think that microbes sustain the rest of the food web. So, they sustain of the rest of life in the ocean. They provide carbon for the rest of organisms, the fishes, whales [and other] big animals that we have in our oceans. And if the microbes are responding in a way that is not satisfactory, or in the way that we think can maintain the food web, this is kind of scary. And this is what we are trying to do: we are trying to go back to the past and see how the microbes are changing [genetically].  Sample Collection We didn't collect the samples. [They were collected] back in the 90s, so, 40 years ago, by a German group led by the Alfred Wegener Institute, which is probably one of the most famous polar institutes in the world. They, basically, led an expedition, I think it was in 92, and they decided to go to this ice shelf in Antarctica, in the Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf to collect these ice cores.   And then the surprise was when they were progressing in the drilling, they realized that on the top part of the ice core was fresh water, meteoric snow that was compacted forming the ice. But they realized that below that part, there was a sea water that was frozen. And then they thought that these samples were very interesting, because they somehow store material from the past, and they shipped these samples to Alfred Werner Institute in Bremerhaven in Germany.   And half of the samples were stored for 40 years until I decided to contact the Institute and to propose this research. And I basically contacted the director of the Institute, and also the group of Frank Wilhelm, to propose the idea. And basically, I said, ‘Hey, I think what you have in your research is a valuable material that that can provide interesting answers for climate change and microbiology.' And they say, ‘Well, that's interesting. And we never thought about that.' And then we started a collaboration to dig into these questions.  Shipping the Ice Cores We had a meeting after one of the first pandemic lockdowns, when they allow [me] to travel. I went to Bremerhaven to have a personal meeting with the team. And we decided to ship some samples to Spain.   They arrived frozen and very well packaged and preserved in an isolated container. But it was really surprising to see that that they were delivered in the same compartment with a dry ham. That was a that was a funny story!  Sample Preparation When we received the samples, the first thing was to basically decontaminate the surface of the [ice]. Because when you unpackage, you have an ice core, pieces like a half meter. And then, we have to think that this ice core has been manipulated by different groups, different people. And you have to decontaminate the surface of the ice core in order to just have the center of the ice core for the for the investigation.  And basically, we adapted a protocol in order to make sure that we didn't have cross contamination from the rest of the from the surface.  So, what we did was we melted the center of the core—well, in fact, different parts of the core with different ages, from 1000 years old to 200 years old—and we melted in a very dedicated laminar flow hood that we have in a clean room. And then, we extracted the DNA from that piece. And in our case, the amount of DNA was so little that we had to amplify with some molecular techniques in order to have [enough] copies of this genetic material to do sequencing.  Sample Analysis I will say that we are in the middle of the project. We had, like, 2 years ongoing for the project.  The most surprising was 2 things. One, in the sea water, beneath the Antarctic, we discovered a very autoctonos (indigenous) viral community that was quite different from the rest of the world, I will say, from the rest of the ocean. So, I think this viral community is quite adapted to infect the microbes that are living in this peculiar environment beneath the Antarctica ice shelf.  And these viruses were carrying some genes that we think are very important for microbes. We call these genes auxiliary metabolic genes. And these genes are very important because somehow the viruses provide these pieces of information, of DNA material, to microbes that are driving important ecological roles, like, for example, carbon fixation.  It's very important, because carbon fixation is probably the primary step in all ecosystems—to provide food for the rest of the organisms. And if this is altering, or we are altering it with different factors—like temperature increase, like melting of the ice—its going to change these patterns and the rate of carbon fixation. This is going to produce a deep impact for the rest of organisms.  We are still investigating, but we think that it's interesting to think that microbes that live in our ocean now are responding to stressing factors like increasing temperature and also acidification by different ways. In fact, it is unclear—it is a very hot topic and a very hot question—because we don't know for sure what the fate of these microbes in our oceans is going to be. For example, people think that we are going to lose biodiversity. There are some hypotheses that say that heterotrophy is going to be more predominant in the sea water. But it's unclear, because we don't really have fossil records that can compare the past to the present, and this is what we can provide, or at least potentially provide. We can say, ‘Hey, we can go before the industrial revolution, before the CO2 increase, and try to compare series of different samples until the present in order to see if, for example, heterotrophy, or microbes that are heterotrophs, are more predominant in modern samples compared to unseen samples.   

Joseph James, biologist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, discusses his career trajectory and the creation of Binning Singletons, a unique mentorship program built on peer-to-peer networking at scientific meetings and conferences and was first implemented in 2019 at ASM Microbe. Links for the Episode Binning Singletons and Peer-to-Peer Networking Learn more about Binning Singletons. Contact Joe James: Joe@binningsingleton.com Follow Binning Singletons on Bluesky. Binning Singletons: Mentoring through Networking at ASM Microbe 2019—mSphere article. Binning Singletons: Tackling Conference Networking When You Don't Know Anyone—Guest post on Addgene Blog. Mastering a Mentoring Relationship as the Mentee—asm.org article that James says has really helped him explain Binning Singletons as a coaching form of mentorship. Mapping a Mentoring Roadmap and Developing a Supportive Network for Strategic Career Advancement—article on developing networks of mentors, another area Binning Singletons tries to address. #FEMSmicroBlog: Networking at Online Conferences (for Early Career Scientists). Take the MTM listener survey! James' Research Dietary lead modulates the mouse intestinal microbiome: Subacute exposure to lead acetate and lead contaminated soil. In situ differences in nitrogen cycling related to presence of submerged aquatic vegetation in a Gulf of Mexico estuary. Quantifying stream periphyton assemblage responses to nutrient amendments with a molecular approach. Analysis of Bacterial Communities in Seagrass Bed Sediments by Double-Gradient Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis of PCR-Amplified 16S rRNA Genes. Use of composite data sets for source-tracking enterococci in the water column and shoreline interstitial waters on Pensacola Beach, Florida.

Our modern food system is highly productive, highly efficient, and tremendously fragile. Today we explore the flip side of the Green Revolution and talk about environmental costs including synthetic fertilizer, antibiotics, chemical and "superweeds." A brief foray into manure management, and then a deep dive into our "oligarchic, corporate food regime." And finally, Caroline leaves the stats and analysis behind to speak from a place of values regarding animal confinement. Follow along on Instagram: @chewswiselypodcast You can reach us at chewswiselypodcast@gmail.com Chews Wisely is sponsored by Little Creek. Get regeneratively raised lamb & beef shipped directly to you from our Montana ranch. For a limited time we're offering 10% off your first order over $100 with the code WISELY.  Sources: Aurora Blue Farm website, Aurora Blue Farm Instagram https://ourworldindata.org/fertilizers https://ourworldindata.org/reducing-fertilizer-use https://www.nature.com/articles/nature25785 https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/no-silver-bullet-solution-norman-borlaug-and-green-revolution/ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/18/magazine/superweeds-monsanto.html https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33592098/ https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mSphere.00433-19 https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=42740 https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-economy/farm-sector-income-finances/farm-business-income/ https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/88057/eib-189.pdf?v=43172 https://phys.org/news/2022-06-food-giants-reap-enormous-profits.html https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/28/usda-to-pay-farmers-who-euthanized-animals-amid-meat-plant-shutdowns-501271 https://docs.house.gov/meetings/JU/JU05/20220119/114345/HHRG-117-JU05-20220119-SD006.pdf https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/SeedsReport.pdf

Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every week day. Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of almost 800 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous soul. sign up now and join us every Thursday night for a virtual happy hour. Now on to today's show notes Dr. Rasmussen is a virologist studying host responses to infection by combining classical virology with modern systems biology approaches. Her research objectives are to identify host response signatures predictive of infection severity or disease outcome and host pathways to target drug development or repurposing. She is particularly interested in viruses that are highly pathogenic, newly emergent or likely to emerge because of climate change, land development, or ecological disruption. Currently she is focused on SARS-CoV-2, as well as other emerging pathogens with the potential to profoundly impact global health, such as Ebola virus, MERS-CoV, influenza virus, and hemorrhagic fever viruses. She works closely with other faculty and affiliates within the GHSS on the Viral Emergence Research Initiative (the VERENA Consortium), where she leads the core virology team. Dr. Rasmussen has employed uses in vitro systems, animal models, and clinical specimens to study the relationship between host response and pathogenesis. She previously developed a  model of Ebola virus disease in a genetically diverse panel of mice, the Collaborative Cross (CC), leveraging the diversity of CC mouse disease phenotypes to study genetic and transcriptomic factors underlying disease severity in humans. She has applied this model to developing predictive signatures of disease outcome and infection and identify novel drug targets. She is currently evaluating CC mouse models towards investigation of sex-specific host responses to viral infection, as well as to investigate disease presentation in other viruses that pose a major threat to global public health, including SARS-CoV-2. Ultimately, these host response profiles can be used for translational or biodefense applications, such as diagnosing infection, predicting disease severity, informing vaccine design, and developing or repurposing host-targeted drugs to impair virus replication or reverse pathology.  Dr. Rasmussen has published numerous original research articles in the peer-reviewed literature and serves on the editorial board of Cell Reports and mSphere. In addition to her scientific work, she believes that engagement of the public is essential to successful public health initiatives and is an active and outspoken science communicator. She has written for Forbes, Foreign Affairs, Slate, the Guardian, and Leapsmag, and appeared many times in media outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, National Public Radio, ABC, NBC, CNN, CBC, and BBC. She is also an advocate for equitable and inclusive science, and serves on the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director's Working Group on Changing the Culture to End Sexual Harassment. Check out all things Jon Carroll Follow and Support Pete Coe Pete on YouTube Pete on Twitter Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page  

The vaginal microbiome is often mentioned in passing - sort of as an afterthought - usually when we're really talking about the gut microbiome. We've decided to give the vaginal microbiome centre stage today, and with good reason - it's a huge factor when it comes to the quality of a woman's life and health, and has implications for fertility, pregnancy and childbirth, and risks associated with sexually transmitted infections.  On this podcast, NBT Scientific Director and Coach Megan Hall and I are discussing the vaginal microbiome: what it is, how to assess for problems, and how to maintain a state of good health. Megan talks about the effects of vaginal dysbiosis on pregnancy and fertility, and how to create the best possible outcome for childbirth. She explains what causes disruption to the vaginal microbiome in the first place, and how ancestral health principles can keep you on track. She also outlines how to rebalance the vaginal microbiome when there's dysbiosis, along with practical steps to take before resorting to antibiotics and antifungals. Here's the outline of this interview with Megan Hall: [00:02:30] Why care about the vaginal microbiota? [00:03:55] Megan's outline for this podcast. [00:04:50] What is the vaginal microbiome (VM)? [00:05:52] 5 core vaginal microbiome community state types (CSTs). [00:07:40] Why lactobacilli are beneficial. [00:10:52] Lucy Mailing, PhD; Podcasts: 1, 2, 3. [00:12:06] Diagnoses associated with vaginal dysbiosis. [00:13:47] Direct to consumer VM testing. [00:15:48] Changes throughout a woman's lifespan. [00:18:02] Podcast: You Are Not Broken: A Modern Approach to Women's Sexual Health and Desire, with Kelly Casperson, MD. [00:18:38] Common vaginal microbiome dysbiosis pathologies: Bacterial Vaginosis (BV), Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (VVC), and Group B Strep (GBS). [00:26:16] Pregnancy: protection from preterm labor, preeclampsia, and infertility. [00:29:44] Studies on the effects of the microbiota and success with infertility treatment: 1. Moreno, Inmaculada, et al. "Evidence that the endometrial microbiota has an effect on implantation success or failure." American journal of obstetrics and gynecology 215.6 (2016): 684-703. and 2. Moore, Donald E., et al. "Bacteria in the transfer catheter tip influence the live-birth rate after in vitro fertilization." Fertility and sterility 74.6 (2000): 1118-1124. [00:31:06] NBT Podcasts with Dr. Malcolm Kendrick: 1, 2. [00:32:15] Causes of disruption to the vaginal microbiome: menses, gut dysbiosis, diet, smoking, contraceptives, antibiotics, general hygiene, stress, tampons, lubricants, hygiene products. [00:35:49] Women who eat a vegetarian diet have higher vaginal microbial diversity (which is unfavorable); Study: Song, Stephanie D., et al. "Daily vaginal microbiota fluctuations associated with natural hormonal cycle, contraceptives, diet, and exercise." Msphere 5.4 (2020): e00593-20. [00:37:05] Compounds from cigarette smoke can be found in cervical mucus; Study: Prokopczyk, Bogdan, et al. "Identification of tobacco-specific carcinogen in the cervical mucus of smokers and nonsmokers." Journal of the National Cancer Institute 89.12 (1997): 868-873. [00:37:24] Microbial composition of man's penis can predict BV incidence in female sex partner: Study: Mehta, Supriya D., et al. "The Microbiome Composition of a Man's Penis Predicts Incident Bacterial Vaginosis in His Female Sex Partner With High Accuracy." Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology 10 (2020): 433. [00:38:53] Maternal stress alters proteins related to vaginal immunity and abundance of lactobacilli; Study: Jašarević, Eldin, et al. "Alterations in the vaginal microbiome by maternal stress are associated with metabolic reprogramming of the offspring gut and brain." Endocrinology 156.9 (2015): 3265-3276. [00:39:34] Maternal vaginal microbiome mediates responses to prenatal stress; Study: Jašarević, Eldin, et al. "The maternal vaginal microbiome partially mediates the effects of prenatal stress on offspring gut and hypothalamus." Nature neuroscience 21.8 (2018): 1061-1071. [00:42:44] Summarizing lifestyle practices that most affect the vaginal microbiome. [00:43:07] The BBC More or Less Podcast: Has the number of periods a woman has in her lifetime quadrupled?  [00:43:49] Best options for contraceptives; Fertility Awareness Method. Podcast: The Truth About Fertility and the Fertility Awareness Method, with Torea Rodriguez. [00:45:08] Personal hygiene products - be wary. [00:46:49] Podcast: How to Manage Stress, with Simon Marshall, PhD. [00:47:22] How to rebalance the vaginal ecosystem (before resorting to antibiotics and antifungals). [00:48:19] Vaginal pH test strips. [00:48:33] Probiotics: Jarrow Fem-Dophilus has two good strains. [00:52:34] Intervaginal vitamin C can help treat BV; Study: Petersen, E. Eiko, and Paola Magnani. "Efficacy and safety of Vitamin C vaginal tablets in the treatment of non-specific vaginitis: A randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled study." European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology 117.1 (2004): 70-75. [00:52:46] Medical grade honey, thyme and garlic. [00:55:13] The next frontier in VM study. [00:57:02] Seeding with fecal microbiota transplantation in C-section infants; Study: Korpela, Katri, et al. "Maternal fecal microbiota transplantation in cesarean-born infants rapidly restores normal gut microbial development: a proof-of-concept study." Cell 183.2 (2020): 324-334. [00:58:30] Microbiome-based biologic drug being studied (L crispatus probiotic); Study: Lagenaur, Laurel A., et al. "Connecting the dots: Translating the vaginal microbiome into a drug." The Journal of Infectious Diseases 223.Supplement_3 (2021): S296-S306. [01:00:09] 4-quadrant model.

This episode: A bacterial communication signal makes algae stop growing, which helps them survive virus attacks! Download Episode (5.3 MB, 7.7 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Veillonella parvula   Takeaways Many interesting interactions between microbes take place in the ocean. As single-celled organisms lacking complex sensory organs, many such interactions and communications are mediated by chemical signals. Some bacteria, for example, each produce small amounts of certain chemicals and release them into the environment. When the concentration of the chemical signal builds up to a certain point, the bacteria change their behavior to take advantage of their high numbers that must be present to produce so much of the signal. This process is called quorum sensing.   Some of these chemical signals can affect the behavior of organisms other than bacteria also. In this study, a common marine algal species was found to stop growing in response to a certain bacterial signal. This chemical inhibits an enzyme required for the algae to produce nucleotides to replicate their genomes. As a result, the algae are able to resist destruction by a virus that would otherwise decimate their populations.   Journal Paper: Pollara SB, Becker JW, Nunn BL, Boiteau R, Repeta D, Mudge MC, Downing G, Chase D, Harvey EL, Whalen KE. 2021. Bacterial Quorum-Sensing Signal Arrests Phytoplankton Cell Division and Impacts Virus-Induced Mortality. mSphere 6:e00009-21. Other interesting stories: Comparing ancient gut microbes from fecal fossils to modern gut communities / also this one   Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, or RSS. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook.

The TWiM team reviews how variants of P. aeruginosa survive antimicrobial treatment, and a decrease in the antimicrobial resistance of the gut microbiome in the presence of the fungus C. albicans. Links for this episode: Phoenix colony variants of P. aeruginosa (AAC) Candida and the gut microbiota (mSphere)  

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to worsen by most objective measures. We're breaking records for cases, deaths, and hospitalizations on a regular basis, and many of our hospitals are operating at or near capacity. Further complicating the situation, scientists are tracking the “UK variant” that is more transmissible, and our vaccine distribution has fallen well short of expectations. Emergent problems in a deepening crisis, of course, make us vulnerable to knee-jerk reactions that distract us from the known path to getting the pandemic under control. On this episode, we're talking with virologist Dr. Angela Rasmussen about these emergent issues. She helps us to understand what they mean and puts them in context by pointing out the good things that are happening too. First and foremost, the vaccines are more efficacious than expected (i.e., around 95%). Second, the “UK variant”, while worrisome, has not evolved in any way that makes existing, non-pharmaceutical interventions less effective (e.g., masks, social-distancing, avoid crowds, clean high-touch surfaces, etc.).   The UK Strain Dr. Rasmussen tells us that the B.1.1.7 strain, better known as the “UK variant”, is worrisome. However, travel bans aren't an effective response to the new COVID-19 variant. The new strain was detected first in the UK, but that is likely because the UK is doing more genomic surveillance than most countries. They found it because they were looking, but it could have originated elsewhere. Dr. Rasmussen explains “travel bans are only really effective when you can guarantee that you would not be exporting the virus from one place to another”. And since we don't know for sure where the variant first-evolved, or where it has spread to, there is simply no way to design an effective travel ban. We also discuss:   How viruses mutate and evolve Why the new variant is believed to be more transmissible Potential behavior components that may have impacted the numbers That the known, non-pharmaceutical interventions work against every variant of SARS coronavirus (i.e., the virus hasn't mutated in a way that makes our masks, social-distancing, etc. less effective). We should double-down on those now.   Communicating Science to the Public We continue to examine communications lessons that can be learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr Rasmussen tells us that scientists and media tend to make one of two mistakes:   They default to the worst case scenario and communicate in a very reactionary way They oversimplify things, trying to get the public to understand and comply with certain behaviors   Both approaches create gaps in understanding and acceptance of our message. To mitigate these issues, Dr. Rasmussen tells us to think about three key things whenever we're communicating science to the public:   Talk openly about what we don't know, and about the nuances, so that people become more comfortable with uncertainty End every message with actionable advice. Tell them what they can and should do right now to protect themselves. Repeat the message over and over. In a constantly evolving environment, we may be tempted to jump from topic to topic. Our messaging should always be grounded in the tried and true (e.g., the non-pharmaceutical interventions discussed earlier)   Vaccine Challenges We're dealing with a triple threat when it comes to the vaccine. First, we have our current distribution problems. There are vaccines available and they are being administered much more slowly than we'd like. Second, there are known supply challenges that could worsen if/when we alleviate the distribution delays. Third, we're dealing with vaccine “hesitancy” and the recent discussions around changing dosing regimens, despite the fact that we have no data to support those changes, might cast further doubt for those on the fence. Dr. Rasmussen shares her thoughts on these high-level issues, and gets into the details of each:   What is causing our distribution problems, and what are the steps that can be taken right now? What do we know about the potential for widespread supply issues, and how are our current efforts to head them off distracting us from the distribution problem we have right now? What will it take to achieve herd immunity and slow, or stop community transmission? Why the vaccine is a medium-to-long-term solution, and the importance of redoubling our efforts on non-pharmaceutical interventions to slow community spread in the near-term How we can use the tried-and-true epidemiological path, in conjunction with vaccination to slow community transmission and get us on the right path in the foreseeable future   Dr. Angela Rasmussen Dr. Rasmussen is a virologist studying host responses to infection by combining classical virology with modern systems biology approaches. Her research objectives are to identify host response signatures predictive of infection severity or disease outcome and host pathways to target drug development or repurposing. She is particularly interested in viruses that are highly pathogenic, newly emergent or likely to emerge because of climate change, land development, or ecological disruption. Currently she is focused on SARS-CoV-2, as well as other emerging pathogens with the potential to profoundly impact global health, such as Ebola virus, MERS-CoV, influenza virus, and hemorrhagic fever viruses. She works closely with other faculty and affiliates within the GHSS on the Viral Emergence Research Initiative (the VERENA Consortium), where she leads the core virology team. Dr. Rasmussen has employed uses in vitro systems, animal models, and clinical specimens to study the relationship between host response and pathogenesis. She previously developed a  model of Ebola virus disease in a genetically diverse panel of mice, the Collaborative Cross (CC), leveraging the diversity of CC mouse disease phenotypes to study genetic and transcriptomic factors underlying disease severity in humans. She has applied this model to developing predictive signatures of disease outcome and infection and identify novel drug targets. She is currently evaluating CC mouse models towards investigation of sex-specific host responses to viral infection, as well as to investigate disease presentation in other viruses that pose a major threat to global public health, including SARS-CoV-2. Ultimately, these host response profiles can be used for translational or biodefense applications, such as diagnosing infection, predicting disease severity, informing vaccine design, and developing or repurposing host-targeted drugs to impair virus replication or reverse pathology.  Dr. Rasmussen has published numerous original research articles in the peer-reviewed literature and serves on the editorial board of Cell Reports and mSphere. In addition to her scientific work, she believes that engagement of the public is essential to successful public health initiatives and is an active and outspoken science communicator. She has written for Forbes, Foreign Affairs, Slate, the Guardian, and Leapsmag, and appeared many times in media outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, National Public Radio, ABC, NBC, CNN, CBC, and BBC. She is also an advocate for equitable and inclusive science, and serves on the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director's Working Group on Changing the Culture to End Sexual Harassment.   Email: ar1692@georgetown.edu Web: https://angelarasmussen.org/ Twitter: @angie_rasmussen   Links and Resources   For mRNA vaccines, we should stick to the schedule Travel bans aren't an effective response to the new COVID-19 variant Pizza-sized boxes and paying a premium: Israel's COVID-19 vaccine rollout Canada has secured more vaccine doses per capita than anyone else, but it's been slow to administer them Doug Ford says Ontario will run out of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines by end of next week

Denise Akob discusses her studies of microbial communities of contaminated and pristine environments using life science and earth science techniques. She discusses how to figure out “who’s there,” how to optimize select natural microbial activities, and her career path into government research. Julie’s Biggest Takeaways: Biogeomicrobiology straddles the life science and earth science fields. This is a growing area of research in the academic setting as well as in the private sector, where one can contribute to hydrogeology or bioremediation efforts.   What happens on the surface when extracting resources like natural gases? Wastewater from hydraulic shale fracking, or fracking, can contaminate microbes. Preliminary data suggests that microbes that thrive in that wastewater can be a fingerprint for surface contamination, and this is one of the areas of active research in Akob’s lab. Additionally, microbes can respond to contaminants to remove that risk and remediate the spills. One trip to the field can provide samples for years of analysis. From one sample, scientists can conduct: Microbiome studies through amplicon sequencing to understand population structures. Metagenomics studies to understand functional potential. Biochemical studies to understand active metabolic processes. Akob asks how to make natural microbial degraders happy. For example: acetylene, a triple-bonded carbon compound, can inhibit degradation of chlorinated solvents, a potent groundwater contaminant. By studying the microbes that use acetylene as a primary energy source (acetylenotrophs), this removes this inhibition caused by acetylene and the chlorinated solvent-degraders can increase their activity.   Akob studies pristine environments to understand natural microbial communities. A cave she studied in Germany was ‘ultra pristine,’ discovered while building a highway. Understanding natural processes, such as the biomineralization promoted during stalagmite and stalactite formation helps scientists imagine how to use tehse processes in other applications. Links for this Episode: Mumford AC et al. Common Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Additives Alter the Structure and Function of Anaerobic Microbial Communities. Applied and Environmetnal Microbiology. 2018. Akob DM et al. Acetylenotrophy: a Hidden but Ubiquitous Microbial Metabolism? FEMS Microbial Ecology. 2018. Akob DM et al. Detection of Diazotrophy in the Acetylene-Fermenting Anaerobic Pelobacter sp. Strain SFB93. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 2017. ASM Article: The Microbial World of Caves James J, Gunn AL, and Akob DM. Binning Singletons: Mentoring through Networking at ASM Microbe 2019. mSphere. 2020. HOM Tidbit: Scientists Find Ancient Cave Dwelling Resistant Bacteria ASM Press: Women in Microbiology  

Jen-Tsan Ashley Chi: I was born and grew up in Taiwan. I obtained my MD from National Taiwan University and PhD from Stanford University. From my post-doctoral training with Dr. Patrick Brown at Stanford, I have been using genomic analysis and gene expression to dissect the influences of various tumor microenvironmental stresses in human cancer and tumor heterogeneity. Since arriving at Duke University, we discovered the presence of abundant and diverse species of RNAs in mature erythrocyte, a cell type long thought to lack any DNA or RNA. Since then we have pioneered the efforts to apply the genomic analysis of erythrocyte microRNAs to dissect the phenotypic variations among sickle cell diseases and blood storage. From the investigation of erythrocytes, we have been interested in the role of erythrocyte RNA in the malaria parasites, including the recent adoption of single cell RNA-Seq technology of malaria parasite pioneered by Dr. Katie Walzer during her thesis work in my lab. Katelyn Walzer: For over ten years, Dr. Katelyn Walzer has studied the genetics and genomics of multiple apicomplexan parasites, including Toxoplasma gondii, Plasmodium falciparum, and now Cryptosporidium parvum.  She completed her PhD in 2018 under the guidance of Dr. Jen-Tsan Ashley Chi at Duke University, where she studied the malaria-causing parasite P. falciparum using high-throughput genomic technologies, including single-cell RNA sequencing.  Her work, published in multiple journals including mSphere and PLoS Genetics, identified distinct gene expression differences between male and female parasites during the transmissible sexual stage and uncovered unexpected transcription of genes during multiple times in the P. falciparum life cycle.  These findings imply that significant transcriptional diversity allows the P. falciparum parasite to survive its dynamic host environment.  Now a post-doctoral fellow in Dr. Boris Striepen's lab at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Walzer studies the transcriptional regulators of the C. parvum life cycle and has used single-cell RNA sequencing to determine the genes expressed during the asexual and sexual stages.  Further work will focus on functionally characterizing stage-specific regulators and determining single-cell gene expression of the host immune response. Walzer KA, Fradin H, Emerson LY, Corcoran DL, Chi JT (2019) Latent transcriptional variations of individual Plasmodium falciparum uncovered by single-cell RNA-seq and fluorescence imaging. PLOS Genetics 15(12): e1008506. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1008506 Walzer KA, Kubicki DM, Tang X, Chi JT. Single-Cell Analysis Reveals Distinct Gene Expression and Heterogeneity in Male and Female Plasmodium falciparum Gametocytes. mSphere. 2018;3(2):e00130-18. Published 2018 Apr 11. doi:10.1128/mSphere.00130-18 Researcher Katelyn Walzer and her Ph.D. mentor Dr. Jen-Tsan Ashley Chi used single-cell analysis to study the malaria-causing parasite, Plasmodium. Dr. Walzer is now studying another parasite called Cryptosporidium. In this podcast, they discuss How Cryptosporidium infects hosts and the dangers it poses, especially for children, Past bulk-sequencing techniques for parasites and what they missed in analysis, The mechanics for single-cell genomics analysis, what it offers microbiology, and advantages specific to fighting Cryptosporidium. Jen-Tsan Ashley Chi, MD, PhD, is an associate professor at the Center for Genomic and Computational Biology at Duke University School of Medicine. His former microbiology student, Katelyn Ann Walzer, PhD, is currently working on her post-doc at the University of Pennsylvania with single-cell analysis. They tell listeners about their specific findings on Plasmodium and Dr. Walzer's current focus on Cryptosporidium, a parasite that causes a diarrheal disease, and what else she hopes to study regarding the parasite. She gives some background on the parasite, describing how detrimental it can be for children in some countries of Africa who've already suffered from other diseases. Cryptosporidium can actually reactivate and cause chronic infection in these children, affecting their general health and quality of life. Dr. Walzer explains how single-cell genomics analysis has allowed her to identify which genes are expressed in the two different matting types (sexual and asexual). Dr. Chi explains how this technique also helped in Plasmodium research because mating is the only way to achieve intrapersonal human transmission, and identifying males and understanding the stages of development in both parasites may offer ways to block their development. Dr. Walzer explains additional findings, plans for upcoming research, and her goals to discover information that will help develop better treatments for infection by Cryptosporidium. For more information, search these researchers in Google Scholar. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Can a protein be contagious? Jason Bartz discusses his work on prion proteins, which cause spongiform encephalopathy and can be transmitted by ingestion or inhalation among some animals. He further discusses how prions can exist as different strains, and what techniques may help improve diagnosis of subclinical infections. Links for this Episode: Jason Bartz Creighton University website Holec SAM, Yuan Q, and Bartz JC. Alteration of Prion Strain Emergence by Nonhost Factors. mSphere. 2019. Yuan Q et al. Dehydration of Prions on Environmentally Relevant Surfaces Protects Them from Inactivation by Freezing and Thawing. Journal of Virology. 2018. Bartz JC. Prion Strain Diversity. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine. 2016.  Bartz JC. From Slow Viruses to Prions PLoS Pathogens. 2016. Deleault NR, Harris BT, Rees JR, Supattapone S. Formation of native prions from minimal components in vitro. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2007. Planet Money Episode 952: Sperm Banks  

Microbial interactions drive microbial evolution, and in a polymicrobial infection, these interactions can determine patient outcome. Deb Hogan talks about her research on interkingdom interactions between the bacterium Pseudomonas and the fungus Candida, 2 organisms that can cause serious illness in cystic fibrosis patients’ lung infections. Her research aims to better characterize these interactions and to develop better diagnostic tools for assessing disease progression and treatment. Links for this Episode: Deb Hogan Lab Website Demers EG et al. Evolution of Drug Resistance in an Antifungal-Naive Chronic Candida lusitaniae Infection. PNAS. 2018. Lewis KA et al. Ethanol Decreases Pseudomonas aeruginosa Flagella Motility through the Regulation of Flagellar Stators. Journal of Bacteriology. 2019. Gifford AH et al. Use of a Multiplex Transcript Method for Analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Gene Expression Profiles in the Cystic Fibrosis Lung. Infection and Immunity. 2016. Grahl N et al. Profiling of Bacterial and Fungal Microbial Communities in Cystic Fibrosis Sputum Using RNA. mSphere. 2018. Microbiology Resource of the Month: The Aeminium ludgeri Genome Sequence HOM Tidbit: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0065216408705628 HOM Tidbit: The Frozen Potential of Microbial Collections  

Influenza is famous for its ability to mutate and evolve but are mutations always the virus’ friend? Jesse Bloom discusses his work on influenza escape from serum through mutation and how mutations affect influenza virus function and transmission. Subscribe (free) on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, RSS, or by email. Also available on the ASM Podcast Network app. Julie’s Biggest Takeaways Influenza is famous for its ability to mutate and evolve through two major mechanisms: Antigenic drift occurs when a few mutations accumulate in the influenza genome and lead to seasonal changes. Antigenic shift occurs when two influenza strains recombine their genomes to form one previously unknown in human populations. Avian influenza has caused thousands of zoonotic cases, in which the virus is transmitted from birds to people. This causes serious disease but the virus doesn’t easily pass from person-to-person, limiting how many people are affected. When a zoonotic case becomes easily transmissible between people, as is suspected occurred in the 1918 influenza pandemic, the outcome can be very serious for many, many people. During antigenic drift, the virus accumulates mutations randomly throughout its genome. Mutations in the hemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein gene are the mutations most likely to affect the ability of antibodies to attach and block HA during viral infection of a new host cell. The circulating human H3N2 influenza A virus accumulates approximately 3-4 mutations annually within its HA gene, representing a 0.5-1% change. On average, it takes 5-7 years of these mutations accumulating until a viral strain can reinfect a previously infected person. The changes in the influenza sequence are responsible for waning immunity against the annually circulating strain. This was demonstrated when a flu strain from the 1950s was inadvertently reintroduced in the 1970s; older people who had previously been infected were protected against this exact same strain. Influenza viruses can escape from sera, which contains many different antibodies, similar to how they can escape from a single monoclonal antibody: through mutations in major antibody binding sites. However, the mutations that allow escape from one person’s serum are different from the mutations that allow escape from another person’s serum. This means the strains that escape one person’s immune system may only be able to infect those with similar immunity.   Links for This Episode MTM Listener Survey, only takes 3 minutes. Thanks! Jesse Bloom’s lab website Guns Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond Lee J.M. et al. Mapping Person-to-Person Variation in Viral Mutations that Escape Polyclonal Serum Targeting Influenza Hemagglutinin.eLife. August 2019. Xue K.S. et al. Cooperating H3N2 Influenza Virus Variants are not Detectable in Primary Clinical Samples.mSphere. January 2018. Francis Arnold at ASM Microbe:Innovation by Evolution: Bringing New Chemistry to Life Let us know what you thought about this episode by tweeting at us @ASMicrobiology or leaving a comment on facebook.com/asmfan.

This episode: Bacteria rid themselves of burdensome waste by ejecting it inside little pieces of their own cell, called minicells! Download Episode (10.8 MB, 11.9 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Cacao yellow mosaic virus News item Journal Papers: Rang CU, Proenca A, Buetz C, Shi C, Chao L. 2018. Minicells as a Damage Disposal Mechanism in Escherichia coli. mSphere 3:e00428-18. Other interesting stories: Gut microbe can help protect mice from colon cancer (paper) Microbes living in super-dry desert couldn't survive excess rains   Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, RSS, Google Play. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

This season we are busting myths, and in this episode, we discuss the myth that mentoring is a one-way street. We talk with our guest Beronda Montgomery, Ph.D., about a cyanobacterium that changes shape in response to stress, and how mentors and trainees also need to change in response to their mutual needs during a research project. Beronda Montgomery is a Michigan State University (MSU) Foundation Professor in the Departments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology - Microbiology & Molecular Genetics. She is also the Assistant Provost for Faculty Development at  MSU. Beronda completed her Ph.D. at the University of California Davis and was a National Science Foundation-funded postdoctoral fellow at Indiana University. Dr. Montgomery also conducts scholarship and training initiatives on mentoring issues related to diversity, junior scientists, and faculty development. She has received many awards, including recently being elected a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. Beronda's laboratory is broadly interested in how photosynthetic organisms, and specifically cyanobacteria, respond to light and nutrient availability. In this episode, we discuss one of her lab's recent publications on the regulation of carboxysome structural proteins and the mentor/mentee dynamics that helped shape the direction of this research. We also talk about Beronda's inspiring mentoring model and the similarities between plants and people (as well as the differences). SHOW NOTES @BerondaM @ehaswell @baxtertwi @taprootpodcast Rohnke, B. A., Singh, S. P., Pattanaik, B., & Montgomery, B. L. (2018). RcaE-Dependent Regulation of Carboxysome Structural Proteins Has a Central Role in Environmental Determination of Carboxysome Morphology and Abundance in Fremyella diplosiphon. mSphere, 3(1), e00617-17. Beronda Montgomery: Growing From Advisor to Mentor Montgomery, B. L. (2017). Mapping a Mentoring Roadmap and Developing a Supportive Network for Strategic Career Advancement. SAGE Open, 7(2), 2158244017710288. IDPS: Vincent BJ et al., (2015). Yearly planning meetings: individualized development plans aren't just more paperwork. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26046646 Of possible interest: JAMA article on ‘mentorship malpractice’: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2512789

2017-03-07 Special EnglishThis is Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. Here is the news.Chinese president Xi Jinping says the city planning in Beijing and preparation for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games co-hosted by the city, are two important missions for Beijing in the present and near future.President Xi made the remarks during an inspection tour in Beijing recently.During the two-day inspection, Xi visited the site for Beijing&`&s new international airport, a sports center, the Capital Gymnasium and a forest park.While inspecting the construction site of Beijing&`&s new international airport terminal building, Xi Jinping said the new airport was a major landmark project of the capital, which should adopt the highest standards, best quality and the world&`&s most advanced management technology and experience.At the Wukesong sports center, venue for the 2022 Winter Olympics ice hockey event, the president urged efforts to learn from foreign experience while strengthening domestic development and technological innovation in terms of stadium planning, design and construction.This is Special English.Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, US President Donald Trump&`&s pick for Ambassador to China, has said that he would work to ensure the continued growth of US agricultural exports to China when he begins his new job, particularly reopening the Chinese market for American beef.He said the US-China relationship offers many opportunities to continue to grow agricultural exports" to China. Branstad made the remarks at the US Department of Agriculture&`&s annual Agricultural Outlook Forum. He said he looks forward to being an advocate for all agricultural exports in the new role.US agricultural exports to China have grown more than 200 percent over the past decade and China was the United States&`& second-largest international market in 2015.The governor said China has already imported more US soybeans than all the rest of the world combined, and the world&`&s second-largest economy has become a major importer of American pork as well. He noted that multi-billion dollar soybean contracts between the United States and China have become a commonplace.In terms of his priorities as US Ambassador to China, Branstad said he hoped China to reopen the market for American beef soon. China halted beef imports from the United States in 2003 to prevent the spread of mad cow disease.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing.China will push international cooperation in the cartoon and game industry in countries along the Belt and Road.A cooperation and exchange program in the sector has been launched. That&`&s according to organizers of the China International Cartoon and Game Expo scheduled for July in Shanghai.The event will have a special Belt and Road hall to exhibit cartoon works from participating countries and boost commercial cooperation.China&`&s Ministry of Culture has made it a key task this year to strengthen cooperation in the cartoon and game sector along the Belt and Road.The Belt and Road Initiative was proposed by China in 2013. It aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road trade routes.The expo has been held annually in Shanghai since 2005. It is co-sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Shanghai municipal government. This is Special English.The amount of smuggled ivory tracked down in China fell 80 percent last year from previous peak years.The State Forestry Administration made the announcement at the opening ceremony of a wildlife protection campaign, without specifying detailed numbers.China will stop commercial processing and sales of ivory by the end of this year. Last year, it imposed a three-year ban on ivory imports in an escalated fight against illegal trading of wild animals and plants.The number of illegal wildlife trade cases has been on the decline since last year.Meanwhile, the numbers of critically endangered species in China, including giant pandas, the crested ibis, the Yangtze alligators and the Tibetan antelope, have been increasing steadily.China&`&s newly-revised law on wild animal protection took effect at the start of this year, imposing harsher punishment on overkilling and illegal utilization of wild animals. You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing.The first international porcelain contest, "Chinese white", has been held in Dehua County in Fujian province.Porcelain made in Dehua county is famous for its shiny, snow-white color. It is as thin as paper and can produce the sound of chimes when tapped. As early as 650 years ago, Dehua porcelain had become one of the main export commodities sent to Europe through the Maritime Silk Road.The decision to hold the contest every other year was finalized at the first China-France Culture Forum in May last year. It aimed to provide a platform for artists from both countries to communicate and exchange ideas in the field of porcelain arts.Around a dozen artists have arrived at Dehua on March 1 for a seven-month visit where they will create porcelain artworks. The outstanding works will go on show in France in September.This is Special English.China will have many more museums in the coming years. The State Administration of Cultural Heritage said recently that it expects one museum to be available for every 250,000 people in the country by 2020. The plan is part of a comprehensive blueprint to nurture China&`&s protection of cultural heritage and improve public participation in the process. Chinese museums are also likely to see the total annual visitor number rise to 800 million from the current 700 million by that year.The administration also said that the first national survey of movable cultural relics will be completed by 2020, and a database containing identity tags for State-owned artifacts, will be established.According to the blueprint, cultural products worth at least 20 million yuan, roughly 3 million US dollars, will likely be sold in the future.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to crienglish.com. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. Now the news continues.A Chinese language proficiency competition for varsity students has been held in Bangladesh&`&s Dhaka University.Dozens of students applied to attend the competition from a number of leading institutions including Dhaka University, Bangladesh Open University, CRI-SMF Confucius Classroom and North-South University.Zhou Mingdong, director at Dhaka University Confucius Institute, told Xinhua News Agency that around 20 of the applicants were selected through initial processes to join the competition.The winners have been awarded prizes and certificates according to their individual results.Dhaka University Confucius Institute and the Institute of Modern Languages in Dhaka University organized the 2nd Chinese Poetry Recitation Competition and the 3rd Chinese Knowledge Contest.The events are aimed at further inspiring Bangladeshi students who are learning Chinese language and building further bridges of relationship between the people of the two countries through more cultural exchanges.All the contestants competed in two segments featuring speeches and artistic performances.This is Special English.A Columbia University study released recently said women who had infections early in pregnancy may be twice likely to have a child with autism.The research team leader Milada Mahic told NBC News that the mother&`&s immune response to HSV-2 could be disrupting fetal central nervous system development, raising the risk for autism.For instance, the Zika virus can infect a developing baby&`&s brain and some viruses may cause severe birth defects, including brain damage. The research was published in the journal mSphere, a U.S. journal that makes fundamental contributions to microbial sciences.However, some experts drew a different conclusion. Ian Lipkin, an infectious disease expert at Columbia University oversaw the research and believes that it&`&s actually the mother&`&s immune response that causes the damage.Lipkin said the chemicals made by inflammation cross the placenta and directly affect the developing brain of the fetus.Autism refers to a broad range of symptoms, including relatively mild social awkwardness of Asperger&`&s syndrome, profound mental retardation which debilitates repetitive behaviors and an inability to communicate. You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. More than 4 percent of the world&`&s population lives with depression, and women, youth and the elderly are the most prone to its disabling effects.The World Health Organization said an estimated 320 million people suffered depressive disorders in 2015, a rise of 18 percent in a decade, as people live longer.A report from the US agency said global economic losses exceed 1 trillion US dollars a year. The loss refers to lost productivity due to apathy or lack of energy that lead to an inability to function at work or cope with daily life.Depression is the single largest contributor to years of living with disability. It is the top cause of disability in the world today. That&`&s according to Dr. Dan Chisholm from the World Health Organization.He said depression is 1.5 times more common among women than men.A further 250 million people suffer anxiety disorders, including phobias, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive behavior and post-traumatic stress disorder.Some 80 percent of those stricken with mental illness live in low-and middle-income countries. This is Special English.Constant stress has been linked to various physical and mental health problems including hypertension, heart disease and insomnia. According to new research, days filled with stress may also increase your risk of becoming overweight.The research was led by Sarah Jackson, a research associate at the Institute of Epidemiology and Health at the University College London. The research results were published in the journal Obesity.For the study, researchers from the university followed over 2,500 men and women aged 54 and older for around four years.The researchers took a sample of hair from each participant to measure the levels of cortisol, a hormone which is released into the bloodstream in times of stress. If a person is under constant stress, the level of cortisol will be much higher.Previous research measured the levels of cortisol in blood or saliva, but these levels can also be affected by other factors, making them unreliable for research.The researchers also collected data on participants&`& weight and compared cortisol levels in the sample to body weight. The results showed that participants with higher cortisol levels tended to have larger waist circumferences.The research concluded that these results provide consistent evidence that long-term stress is associated with higher levels of obesity.Based on the conclusion, Jackson suggested that people should look for better ways to manage stress. This is Special English.New Zealand researchers say they have made a breakthrough in potential treatments for the debilitating Parkinson&`&s disease by identifying how it spreads in the brain.The University of Auckland scientists said they had the first strong evidence that the progressive neurodegenerative condition spread through pathological proteins, known as Lewy bodies, moving from cell to cell.Research leader, Associate Professor Maurice Curtis said in a statement that they have the first proof in cell culture of the mechanism controlling the spread.Curtis said the implication is that if there is a spread of the Lewy bodies in the brain, then the spread could be stopped early on.（全文见周日微信。）

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler Guest: Scott Tibbetts Scott Tibbetts joins the TWiVists to describe his work on the role of a herpesviral nocoding RNA in establishment of peripheral latency, and then we visit two last minute additions to the Zika virus literature. Links for this episode Noncoding RNA required for establishment of latency (mSphere) 17:20 Lessons learned from in vivo studies of a viral noncoding RNA (mSphere) 1:05:05 Zika virus in pregnant women in Rio de Janeiro (NEJM) 1:06:10 Zika virus infects cortical neural progenitors (Cell Stem Cell) 1:12:00 Image credit Letters read on TWiV 379 1:15:10 This episode is sponsored by 32nd Clinical Virology Symposium and Microbe Magazine Podcast 4:15, 1:05:25 Weekly Science Picks 1:42:45 Alan - Okeanos ExplorerDickson - Rome RebornVincent - Twitter Missing ManualScott - Best Science Images of 2015Kathy - Space Travel PostersRich - GoISSWatch Listener Pick Peter - Antibiotics and the Problem of the Broken Market Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Elio Schaechter and Michele Swanson The TWiMeriti reveal a Brazilian social bee that must cultivate a fungus to survive, and diet-mediated reduction in gut colonization by Candida albicans. Links for this episode  Bee cultivates fungus to survive (Curr Biol) Diet reduces C. albicans gut colonization (mSphere) mSphere, a new open-access ASM journal Image credit Letters read on TWiM 116 This episode is sponsored by ASM Biodefense and the 32nd Clinical Virology Symposium. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twim@twiv.tv.