Podcasts about protists

Matters Microbial #79: How Amoebae Beat the Heat February 20, 2025 Today, Dr. Angela Oliverio, Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at Syracuse University, joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss what her research group has been learning about extremophilic single-celled eukaryotes! Host: Mark O. Martin Guest: Angela Oliverio Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify Become a patron of Matters Microbial! Links for this episode An overview of protists.   A wondrous video of the types of protists to be found seemingly everywhere. A video about amoebae and how YOU can find them.   A video about the testate amoebae mentioned in this podcast. An essay about the testate amoebae. A very old article on temperature limits to eukaryotic life. A more modern article on this topic. An article from Dr. Oliverio's group on the temperature limits to eukaryotic life. The Mullin laboratory at UCSF does remarkable visualization. Genomics and the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. How mycoplasma move, with remarkable videos. A member of Dr. Oliverio's lab creates beautiful glass art at this Etsy shop. A wonderful local news report on Dr. Oliverio and coworker's research. A nice overview of Dr. Oliverio's research interest in extremophilic protists. An article from Dr. Oliverio's group explaining why we should all care about extremophilic eukaryotes. Dr. Oliverio's research website (and SO worth your time) Dr. Oliverio's faculty website. Intro music is by Reber Clark Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com

Today, we are joined by Courtney Stairs to discuss the fascinating world of protists. These unique organisms, which are neither animals, land plants, fungi, nor bacteria, represent a vastly unexplored biomass on our planet – and Courtney is on a mission to learn as much as she can about them… Courtney focuses her research on discovering how microbial eukaryotes – a.k.a “protists” – have evolved to thrive in low-oxygen environments. How do they thrive in challenging ecosystems? What does this tell us about how different organisms communicate and interact? Tune in now to expand your scientific knowledge! In this conversation, we explore:  What protists are.  Why protists are considered a “biologist's playground.”  Examples of harmful microbial eukaryotes.  How protists are able to thrive without oxygen.  To learn more about Courtney and her work, click here now! Take advantage of a 5% discount on Ekster accessories by using the code FINDINGGENIUS. Enhance your style and functionality with premium accessories. Visit bit.ly/3uiVX9R to explore latest collection Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/30PvU9C

This conversation will make you want to buy a microscope and will make you rethink the way you envision the Tree of Life, where animals, plants and fungi are just a tiny speck on the overall tree of life.Dr. Julia Van Etten (of the @Couch Microscopy Instagram page) talks about what the hell a Protist is and where you can find them (everywhere). We reveal how Protists are the fine particles that weave within and throughout our world."The Tree of Life is Really a Web".

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This episode: Slime mold amoebas Fonticula alba have interesting and unique foraging and reproductive behaviors! Download Episode (7.3 MB, 10.6 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Cajanus cajan Panzee virus News item   Takeaways How did life develop from single-celled organisms acting independently into the complex, multicellular organisms we see and are today? Although it is difficult to look back through time to study how ancient organisms may have developed along this path, it is possible to investigate modern organisms that occupy a zone in between single-celled and multicellular, to see if we can get some hints to our own development, and also learn about some interesting microbes along the way! This study into the social amoeba, or slime mold, Fonticula alba, finds that the individual amoebal cells in a population join together into collectives and break apart into individuals at different stages of their complex life cycle, depending on the status of the bacteria around them that they forage as prey. The investigators tease out the various pathways taken by these amoebas.   Journal Paper: Toret C, Picco A, Boiero-Sanders M, Michelot A, Kaksonen M. 2022. The cellular slime mold Fonticula alba forms a dynamic, multicellular collective while feeding on bacteria. Curr Biol 32:1961-1973.e4. 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.

Dr. Michael ginger, Dean of the School of Applied Sciences in the Department of Biological and geographical Science at the University of Huddersfield, in West Yorkshire, England discusses the atypical metabolism and evolutionary cell biology of parasitic and free-living protists, including Leishmania, Naegleria and  even euglinids.

This episode: A marine protist predator traps prey microbes in an attractive bubble of mucus, eats what it wants, and lets the rest sink, possibly sequestering significant amounts of carbon! Download Episode (7.8 MB, 11.4 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Bat associated cyclovirus 1 News item Takeaways The oceans have a lot of unique, unexplored life in them. This is true on a macro level but even more on a microscopic level, with many different kinds of microbes of various groups with fascinating life strategies. And despite being microscopic, with enough of them around, they can affect the whole planet's climate in significant ways. In this study, one protist species gets most of its nutrients from photosynthesis, but what it can't get from the sun, it takes from prey microbes by force. To catch its prey, it creates an intricate bubble of mucus called a mucosphere, and waits for other microbes to swim into it, thinking it is food, and get stuck. Then the predator chooses the prey cell it wants and abandons the rest, letting them sink to the ocean floor and locking away the carbon they contain in the process.   Journal Paper: Larsson ME, Bramucci AR, Collins S, Hallegraeff G, Kahlke T, Raina J-B, Seymour JR, Doblin MA. 2022. Mucospheres produced by a mixotrophic protist impact ocean carbon cycling. Nat Commun 13:1301. 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.

People are pretty well-versed in charismatic megafauna–lions and tigers and bears (and others) oh my! But have you thought about protists recently? We didn't think so. These single-celled organisms, though tiny, are essential to life on Earth. Find out more about their characteristics, purpose, and why they're so important in today's episode!Support the show

R.H. Whittaker (1969) proposed a Five Kingdom Classification. The kingdoms defined by him were named Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae and Animalia. The main criteria for classification used by him include cell structure, body organisation, mode of nutrition, reproduction and phylogenetic relationships. Table 2.1 gives a comparative account of different characteristics of the five kingdoms. The three-domain system has also been proposed that divides the Kingdom Monera into two domains, leaving the remaining eukaryotic kingdoms in the third domain and thereby a six kingdom classification. You will learn about this system in detail at higher classes. Let us look at this five kingdom classification.KINGDOM MONERA Bacteria are the sole members of the Kingdom Monera. They are the most abundant micro-organisms. Bacteria occur almost everywhere. Hundreds of bacteria are present in a handful of soil. They also live in extreme habitats such as hot springs, deserts, snow and deep oceans where very few other life forms can survive. Many of them live in or on other organisms as parasites. Bacteria are grouped under four categories based on their shape: the spherical Coccus (pl.: cocci), the rod-shaped Bacillus (pl.: bacilli), the comma-shaped Vibrium (pl.: vibrio) and the spiral Spirillum (pl.: spirilla).KINGDOM PROTISTA All single-celled eukaryotes are placed under Protista, but the boundaries of this kingdom are not well defined. What may be ‘a photosynthetic protistan' to one biologist may be ‘a plant' to another. In this book we include Chrysophytes, Dinoflagellates, Euglenoids, Slime moulds and Protozoans under Protista. Members of Protista are primarily aquatic. This kingdom forms a link with the others dealing with plants, animals and fungi. Being eukaryotes, the protistan cell body contains a well defined nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles. Some have flagella or cilia. Protists reproduce asexually and sexually by a process involving cell fusion and zygote formation. Amoeboid protozoans: These organisms live in fresh water, sea water or moist soil. They move and capture their prey by putting out pseudopodia (false feet) as in Amoeba. Marine forms have silica shells on their surface. Some of them such as Entamoeba are parasites. Flagellated protozoans: The members of this group are either free-living or parasitic. They have flagella. The parasitic forms cause diaseases such as sleeping sickness. Example: Trypanosoma. Ciliated protozoans: These are aquatic, actively moving organisms because of the presence of thousands of cilia. They have a cavity (gullet) that opens to the outside of the cell surface. The coordinated movement of rows of cilia causes the water laden with food to be steered into the gullet. Example: Paramoecium (Figure 2.4d). Sporozoans: This includes diverse organisms that have an infectious spore-like stage in their life cycle. The most notorious is Plasmodium (malarial parasite) which causes malaria, a disease which has a staggering effect on human population. KINGDOM FUNGI The fungi constitute a unique kingdom of heterotrophic organisms. They show a great diversity in morphology and habitat. You must have seen fungi on a moist bread and rotten fruits. The common mushroom you eat and toadstools are also fungi. White spots seen on mustard leaves are due to a parasitic fungus. Some unicellular fungi, e.g., yeast are used to make bread and beer. Other fungi cause diseases in plants and animals; wheat rust-causing Puccinia is an important example. Some are the source of antibiotics, e.g., Penicillium. Fungi are cosmopolitan and occur in air, water, soil and on animals and plants. They prefer to grow in warm and humid places. Have you ever wondered why we keep food in the refrigerator ? Yes, it is to prevent food from going bad due to bacterial or fungal infections. With the exception of yeasts which are unicellular, fungi are filamentous.Virus.

This episode: A eukaryote has symbionts living in it: green algae and also purple bacteria, a combo never seen before! Download Episode (6.1 MB, 8.8 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Staphylococcus virus phiETA   News item   Takeaways Having bacteria as endosymbionts is fairly common in life on Earth: almost all eukaryotes have them in the form of mitochondria and sometimes chloroplasts. These former bacteria somehow got inside the ancestral eukaryote, either as parasites or as prey, and ended up as integral parts of their host's metabolic functions. Some organisms, especially insects, obtained bacterial endosymbionts more recently, that help them balance their metabolic needs when living on limited diets.   Algae have been known to be endosymbionts also, performing photosynthesis for their host. But in this study, a ciliate with both algae and purple photosynthetic bacteria as endosymbionts was discovered. Purple bacteria as symbionts is rare, and this combination has not been observed before. Interestingly, though algae produce oxygen through their photosynthesis, the ciliate prefers living in low-oxygen sediment at the bottom of a pond. The symbionts and their host seem to adjust their metabolisms as needed depending on the needs at the time; they may each perform photosynthesis, fermentation, or respiration if light, organic carbon, or oxygen are available.   Journal Paper: Muñoz-Gómez SA, Kreutz M, Hess S. 2021. A microbial eukaryote with a unique combination of purple bacteria and green algae as endosymbionts. Sci Adv 7:eabg4102. Other interesting stories: Oxygen-producing microbes could help treat acute strokes   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.

This episode: Single-celled eukaryotes can thrive without oxygen with the help of bacterial endosymbionts that respire nitrate the way our mitochondria respire oxygen!   Thanks to Jon Graf for his contribution! Download Episode (12.4 MB, 18.1 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Brenneria salicis   News item 1 / News item 2   Takeaways The combination of a bacterium and other microbe into the first eukaryote was a big advance in evolutionary history; it made possible the huge variety of different body shapes and sizes we see today. This is thanks to the bacterial endosymbiont, the mitochondrion, taking on specialized metabolic tasks for the cell.   We already knew about endosymbionts that help with oxygen respiration, with photosynthesis (chloroplasts), and with amino acid synthesis (certain endosymbionts in insects). But bacteria have other metabolic abilities that are very useful in certain conditions; do these bacteria ever team up with other organisms? The answer is yes! In this study, ciliates were discovered at the bottom of a lake in oxygen-free waters. These protists have an bacterial endosymbiont that helps them respire, not oxygen, but nitrate instead, generating more energy than most anaerobic ciliates.   Journal Paper: Graf JS, Schorn S, Kitzinger K, Ahmerkamp S, Woehle C, Huettel B, Schubert CJ, Kuypers MMM, Milucka J. 2021. Anaerobic endosymbiont generates energy for ciliate host by denitrification. Nature. Other interesting stories: Bacterial cellulose film is very good at separating oil and water   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.

This episode: Despite being photosynthetic, some kinds of algae engage in predatory behavior, hunting and consuming live bacteria! Download Episode (4.9 MB, 7.1 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Paramecium bursaria Chlorella virus 1   News item   Takeaways Although most of them are microscopic, algae perform a significant portion of the photosynthesis on the planet, because there are so many of them. But even though photosynthesis seems like a reliable way of acquiring energy, there are conditions under which even algae benefit from gathering energy and nutrients from other organisms. This is called phagomixotrophy, when algae hunt and consume bacteria.   In this study, scientists developed fluorescence methods for detecting and studying this predation in a group of algal phytoplankton that's not well-studied, prasinophytes. They found that all five species they looked at engaged in bacterivory under nutrient-depleted conditions, and that they preferred live bacteria to killed ones.   Journal Paper: Bock NA, Charvet S, Burns J, Gyaltshen Y, Rozenberg A, Duhamel S, Kim E. 2021. Experimental identification and in silico prediction of bacterivory in green algae. ISME J. Other interesting stories: Fecal microbe transplant seems to help mice recover from spinal cord injury (paper)   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.

Finally found some good stories, so we're back! This episode: How slime molds encode and use memories built into their own bodies! Download Episode (4.6 MB, 6.7 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Aeromonas salmoncida News item   Takeaways Despite being single-celled organisms, slime molds have fairly complex behavior, including a basic form of memory. They often grow as a network of tubes of cytoplasm branching out from one place to find and exploit new sources of food in their environment. When these tubes connect to new food, other less productive branches of its body shrink away.   As it turns out, this body form serves a role in memory also. This study determined that the slime mold's tubes undergo constant squeezing, which moves cell contents around and also shrinks them. When tubes are connecting to a food source though, they secrete a softening agent that allows the pressure to expand the tubes instead of shrinking them. These larger tubes consequently are capable of transporting more softening agent farther away to newer food sources, so the history of food discoveries is recorded in the slime mold's own body, which also influences its responses to new discoveries.   Journal Paper: Kramar M, Alim K. 2021. Encoding memory in tube diameter hierarchy of living flow network. Proc Natl Acad Sci 118. Other interesting stories: Bacteria-derived gene editing tool TALEN better than CRISPR in some cases Live microbes in oceans produce more hydrocarbons than oil seeps introduce, priming microbes to break down oil (paper)   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.

This episode of Spectacular Science is Part 4 of a 5 part series about the types of Microorganisms (microscopic animals). The types of Microorganisms are… viruses, bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa. We will talk about each of these Microorganisms in an episode. Today, we are focusing on Algae or Protists! Please contact us by going … Continue reading "Episode 30: Microorganisms Series – Part 4: Algae!!"

This episode: Algae surviving impact that killed the dinosaurs seem to have consumed other organisms to make it through the dark times! Download Episode (7.1 MB, 10.3 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Chaetoceros tenuissimus RNA virus 01 News item Takeaways Being able to look through time and learn about what might have happened to creatures throughout Earth's history is what makes paleontology great. Everyone knows about dinosaurs and what happened to them at the end of the Cretaceous period thanks to science. But what we can learn is not limited just to large organisms; there are ways to learn about microorganisms of the past as well, including by looking at fossils!   In this study, fossils of hard-shelled algae from around the end of the dinosaurs show that many of these microbes in the oceans went extinct at the same time due to the massive space impact. Debris blocked out sunlight for years, making it difficult for photosynthetic organisms to survive. So some of these algae appear to have survived by preying on smaller organisms, pulling them in through a hole in their shell.   Journal Paper: Gibbs SJ, Bown PR, Ward BA, Alvarez SA, Kim H, Archontikis OA, Sauterey B, Poulton AJ, Wilson J, Ridgwell A. 2020. Algal plankton turn to hunting to survive and recover from end-Cretaceous impact darkness. Sci Adv 6:eabc9123. Other interesting stories: Phages could help treat diabetic wound infections without harming microbiota (paper)   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.

Today on Mushroom Hour we are graced by the presence of Leah Bendlin AKA Leah Mycelia. For anyone on Instagram or Facebook, you will know Leah for her near-encyclopedic knowledge of wild macrofungi, some of their underappreciated fungal brethren and even their distant cousins, the infamous slime molds. On our way to visiting her myceliated domain of Portland, OR we make a stop in Leah's home state of Wisconsin to learn a little from Leah's Dad - a biology teacher who was a huge early influence in Leah's exploration of nature. As she explored her own relationship with nature and her quest for more delicious wild things to eat, Leah discovered mushrooms and became obsessed with these enigmatic organisms. Her love of food is still at the core of her mushroom obsession. To date, she has eaten an unbelievable 252 species of mushroom! What are some delicious edibles that we don't even know about? As she has continued to develop her mycological repetoire, Leah has been able to tap into the extensive fungal community both in-person and online. Whether it's Facebook mushroom identification groups or local mycology clubs we'll feel the mush love and expand our knowledge exponentially. As citizen scientists have increasing access to vast amounts of information, the line between the professional and amateur scientist begins to blur. How do these communities overlap in practicing science and furthering the study of mycology?Branching out beyond the confines of kingdom fungi, Leah will introduce us to some distant relations that either rely on fungal organisms or resemble them - Mycohetertrophic plants and the infamous Slime Molds! Mycoheterotrophic plants rely on the nutrient-sharing mycorrhizal fungal networks that connect 95% of land plants together. Are these plants strictly parasitic or do they offer some benefit to the fungi? Few people are as passionate about slime molds as Leah and she will demystify these single-celled eukaryotic organisms. Even though many of us associate them with fungi, slime molds evolutionary lineage shows they actually have less in common with fungi than we do! Due to their unique physiology and behavior, slime molds are frequently used in scientific research. What kind of unique clues about non-human learning and brain-free intelligence do slime molds reveal to us?Episode ResourcesLeah Bendlin (IG page): https://www.instagram.com/leah_mycelia/ Disciotis Venosa (mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disciotis_venosa Geopora Cooperi (mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geopora_cooperi Cortinarius Caperatus (mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortinarius_caperatus Alden Dirks (Collaborator): https://www.aldendirks.com/ Alison Pollack (Collaborator): https://www.instagram.com/marin_mushrooms/ Sarah Lloyd (Collaborator): https://www.instagram.com/sarah.lloyd.tasmania/ Myxomycetes - A Handbook of Slime Molds (book): https://www.amazon.com/Myxomycetes-Handbook-Steven-L-Stephenson/dp/0881924393

Today we discuss protists.

Protists are an extremely important part of many ecosystems, but people don't often consider their significance and the biodiversity they represent. In this episode of the podcast, Laura speaks with Professor Genoveva Esteban who is based at Bournemouth University, UK. Genoveva's research focuses on the biodiversity of aquatic systems in the UK, particularly at a microbial level.

This episode: Giant virus in newly discovered microscopic marine predator encodes several light-harvesting proteins! Download Episode (7.8 MB, 11.4 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Dolphin mastadenovirus A News item Takeaways Giant viruses are distinct in many ways from other viruses, even aside from their size. One way is the large number and variety of genes they carry in their genome. Though many of their genes are unknown in origin and function, many others appear to take the place of essential reproductive functions, such as translation and protein synthesis. This allows them to assume more control of their host's metabolism and control its resources more optimally. In this study, the sequence of a giant virus was discovered seemingly infecting a newly discovered microscopic marine predator. The eukaryotic cell feeds on smaller microbes such as bacteria, but strangely, the virus carries genes for several light-harvesting proteins, possibly converting a heterotrophic predator into a partial phototroph. Journal Paper: Needham DM, Yoshizawa S, Hosaka T, Poirier C, Choi CJ, Hehenberger E, Irwin NAT, Wilken S, Yung C-M, Bachy C, Kurihara R, Nakajima Y, Kojima K, Kimura-Someya T, Leonard G, Malmstrom RR, Mende DR, Olson DK, Sudo Y, Sudek S, Richards TA, DeLong EF, Keeling PJ, Santoro AE, Shirouzu M, Iwasaki W, Worden AZ. 2019. A distinct lineage of giant viruses brings a rhodopsin photosystem to unicellular marine predators. Proc Natl Acad Sci 116:20574–20583. Other interesting stories: Deep-sea mussels collect multiple symbiont microbes to use best one for current environment Microscopic water droplets help bacteria survive on dry leaves   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.

Mia, aged 5, ask the nerds all about germs in this episode. Yuck! What are germs? Bacteria, viruses, fungi and protists? How do they spread and make us ill? Why do I keep getting the flu? What is our microbiome? What are good germs? How can they keep us healthy? What are antibiotics? How was penicillin discovered? How did we discover microbes? Believe it not, even though they may be disgusting, we owe a lot to these little guys! If you would like to see what the nerds look like, check us out on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/c/BetweenTwoNerds And for more information about Curiosity Lab, how we make kids fall in love with science, check out: https://www.curiositylab.ae

This episode: Bacteria found in the guts of serious athletes help mice exercise longer by transforming their metabolic waste! Download Episode (7.3 MB, 10.6 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Aggregatibacter (Actinobacillus) actinomycetemcomitans News item Takeaways Our gut microbes affect many aspects of health, and many aspects of how we live affect our microbes. One such aspect is physical exertion, which has been associated with enrichment of various microbes in the guts of athletes. This observation led to the question: are these microbes just benefiting from the high levels of exertion, or are they able to contribute also? This study found that certain such bacteria, when given to mice, enabled the mice to run for a longer period on a treadmill. These microbes break down lactic acid, which is generated in our bodies when we push our physical limits, but the study provided evidence that the longer run times were due not to removal of this waste product, but to the propionate compound produced by its degradation. Journal Paper: Scheiman J, Luber JM, Chavkin TA, MacDonald T, Tung A, Pham L-D, Wibowo MC, Wurth RC, Punthambaker S, Tierney BT, Yang Z, Hattab MW, Avila-Pacheco J, Clish CB, Lessard S, Church GM, Kostic AD. 2019. Meta-omics analysis of elite athletes identifies a performance-enhancing microbe that functions via lactate metabolism. Nat Med 25:1104–1109. Other interesting stories: Aphids hijacked viral gene to determine whether they grow wings Phage therapy could help treat green sea turtles   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.

This episode: A new giant virus infecting marine algae brings its own genes related to fermentation, generating energy in the absence of oxygen! Thanks to Drs. Chris Schvarcz and Grieg Steward for their contributions! Download Episode (14 MB, 15.25 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Borrelia anserina News item Journal Paper: Schvarcz CR, Steward GF. 2018. A giant virus infecting green algae encodes key fermentation genes. Virology 518:423–433. Other interesting stories: Plant virus influences aphid nutrition and population growth Hosts can benefit from E. coli iron-gathering proteins Fog can sustain and transport microbes long distances Using bacteriophages to form useful nanostructures out of gold   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 episode: New giant virus has genes for a surprisingly complete system of protein synthesis! Download Episode (10.1 MB, 11.1 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Phocid alphaherpesvirus 1 Video of tupanvirus intracellular factory Journal Paper: Abrahão J, Silva L, Silva LS, Khalil JYB, Rodrigues R, Arantes T, Assis F, Boratto P, Andrade M, Kroon EG, Ribeiro B, Bergier I, Seligmann H, Ghigo E, Colson P, Levasseur A, Kroemer G, Raoult D, La Scola B. 2018. Tailed giant Tupanvirus possesses the most complete translational apparatus of the known virosphere. Nat Commun 9:749. Other interesting stories: Gut microbes can help with the healthy effects of berries (paper) Leaf microbes can protect plants from pathogens, at least when plants aren't fertilized Exploring the microbes living on an 18th century mummy (paper)   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 episode: Very small ocean algae consume bacterial prey of a similar size to themselves by engulfing them only partially! Download Episode (8.9 MB, 9.7 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Bradyrhizobium japonicum Journal Paper: Kamennaya NA, Kennaway G, Fuchs BM, Zubkov MV. 2018. “Pomacytosis”—Semi-extracellular phagocytosis of cyanobacteria by the smallest marine algae. PLOS Biol 16:e2003502. Other interesting stories: Using nanomagnets to control quorum sensing by pulling bacteria together (paper)   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 episode: Learning about endosymbionts by comparing bacteria living inside eukaryotes to their free-living cousins! Thanks to Dr. Vittorio Boscaro for his contribution! Download Episode (9.7 MB, 10.6 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Ancalochloris perfilievii Journal Paper: Boscaro V, Kolisko M, Felletti M, Vannini C, Lynn DH, Keeling PJ. 2017. Parallel genome reduction in symbionts descended from closely related free-living bacteria. Nat Ecol Evol 1:1160. Other interesting stories: Wolbachia naturally found in mosquitoes inhibits malaria transmission (paper) Group of 5 microbes help regulate Hydra's body contractions In mice, fungi can function somewhat in place of gut bacteria (paper) Bacteriophages get carried all over the body Bacteria engineered to make boron-carbon bonds   Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: iTunes, RSS, Google Play. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

This episode: Tiny crustaceans eat paramecia, allowing viruses to infect algae inside them! Download Episode (9.1 MB, 9.9 minutes) Show notes: Follow-up to episode 259: mass-producing worm spit healing protein News item Journal Paper: DeLong JP, Al-Ameeli Z, Duncan G, Etten JLV, Dunigan DD. 2016. Predators catalyze an increase in chloroviruses by foraging on the symbiotic hosts of zoochlorellae. Proc Natl Acad Sci 113:13780–13784. Other interesting stories: Microbes are important for protecting bees Ant bacteria produce potential new antibiotics Old microbes discovered living in mine crystals Skin bacteria could protect against pathogens Author is writing poems in a bacterial genome so they survive the apocalypse (paywall)   Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe: iTunes, RSS, Google Play. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook  

This episode: Amoebas in soil gang up on and eat much larger roundworms! Download Episode (10.5 MB, 11.3 minutes)Show notes:Journal Paper Video of amoebas eating worm Discussion on This Week in Microbiology Other interesting stories: Fungi living inside plants produce potential anticancer compound (paper) Local bacteria help protect and nurture crops in Nigeria (paper) Squished bacteria grow as pancake-shaped cells (paper) Bacteria living in fungi that help plants have many genes taken from their hosts (paper) Engineering yeast that produce opiates cheaply Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe at iTunes, check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

This episode: Vampirovibrio chlorellavorus, a predatory bacterium that feeds on Chlorella algae, is currently lost from science, but its genome has been sequenced and interpreted anyway, to reveal a surprising family history! Download Episode (9.4 MB, 10.25 minutes)Show notes:Journal Paper Other interesting stories: Appetite-suppressing bacteria could treat obesity Skin bacteria could save frogs from deadly fungus Developing yeast that produce lots of biofuel lipids Vineyard soil microbiome affects vine microbes (and thus, wine) Microbes could make super-sensitive bioelectromechanical sensors Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe at iTunes, check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

Host: Vincent Racaniello Guests: Carla Saleh and Curtis Suttle At the International Congress of Virology in Montreal, Vincent speaks with Carla and Curtis about their work on RNA interference and antiviral defense in fruit flies, and viruses in the sea, the greatest biodiversity on Earth. Links for this episode Greatest biodiversity on Earth (Genome) Cafeteria roenbergensis virus (PNAS) Marine viruses (Nat Rev Micro) RNAi and reverse transcription is antiviral in flies (Nat Imm) Friendly persistent infections (Curr Op Micro) RNAi and antiviral defense in Drosophila (Dev Comp Imm) Video of this episode - view at YouTube Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv

This episode: Gut parasites may fight each other to infect! Download Episode (9.7 MB, 10.6 minutes)Show notes:News item/Journal Paper Other interesting stories: Fungus-bacterium community does well producing biofuel from cellulose (paper) Improving microbes' ability to generate electricity Cyanobacterium can produce 5 different biofuels Sequencing-based community sampling may overestimate microbial diversity (paper) Bacteria could help harvest biofuel algae by clumping them together (paper) Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe at iTunes, check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

This episode: Green algae could help create new cheaper, more stable vaccines for developing countries! Download Episode (4.5 MB, 5 minutes)Show notes:News item/Journal Paper Other interesting stories: Some dirt in the diet could be very healthy Gut bacteria seem to kill Salmonella directly Bacteria may influence biological clocks, at least in squid Protein in mountain bacteria similar enough to brain protein to allow comparison Soil bacterium could reduce contamination of crops with deadly fungal toxin (paper) Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe at iTunes, check out the show at Twitter or Facebook

This episode: Fungi are found living deep under the sea! Download Episode (3.15 MB, 3.5 minutes)Show notes:News Item/Journal Paper Other interesting stories: Scientists test artificial feces transplants to treat C. difficile infections Exposure to bacteria from adult male mice seems to protect young female mice against type 1 diabetes Bacteria that take electrons from iron can take them directly from electricity too and fix carbon dioxide Sea creatures often team up with bacteria that produce potential new drugs Engineered herpes virus could inhibit metastasis of certain cancers Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe at iTunes, check out the show at Twitter or SciencePodcasters.org

This episode: Bdelloid rotifers borrow genetic material from all over the place! Download Episode (4.5 MB, 4.8 minutes)Show notes:News item 1/News item 2/Journal Paper Other interesting stories: Model suggests we might actively enable growth of beneficial gut microbes Predatory bacteria can even feed on their prey's storage polymers (paper) Plants' symbiotic bacteria can control their production of insect toxins and only produce when needed (paper) More bacteria than thought can get rid of potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide Marine algae engineered to produce biofuels like fresh-water algae Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening! Subscribe at iTunes, check out the show at Twitter or SciencePodcasters.org

This episode: Amoebae snag pathogenic bacteria in soil and carry them around as a portable snack! Download Episode (3.9 MB, 4.25 minutes)Show notes:Journal Paper /Video Other interesting stories: Bacteria could be used to produce pleasing scents Plant-dwelling bacteria with particular enzyme could help cut flowers last longer (paper) Fragile bacterial crusts are important for desert ecosystems Bacteria could protect frogs from deadly fungus plague How bacteria help animals eat grass Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com . Thanks for listening! Subscribe at iTunes, check out the show at Twitter or SciencePodcasters.org

Receptor tyrosine kinases existed in the unicellular ancestors of multicellular animals and underwent diversification in the metazoan lineage.

This episode: Some lichens can degrade environmental prions! Download Episode (4 MB, 4.5 minutes)Show notes:News item/Journal paper/Actual test of enzyme application Other interesting stories: E. coli quickly evolves to withstand high pressures Developing fungi deadly to insect pests and disease vectors Bacteria could help carry materials for nanofabrication Engineering E. coli to produce biofuel Fungus-fighting fungus could treat diseases of plants and people Eukaryotic microbe has seven different sexes Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com . Thanks for listening! Subscribe at iTunes, check out the show at Twitter or SciencePodcasters.org

This episode: Bacteria fight malaria in the bellies of mosquitoes! Download Episode (4.4 MB, 4.75 minutes)Show notes:News item 1/News item 2/Journal paper Other interesting stories: Paper about probiotic that could prevent toxic shock syndrome Growing up on a farm seems to prevent asthma--probably because of microbes Probiotic could help treat stomach ulcers Making biofuels out of brewery waste Bacteria growing on old dead trees are forest's best source of nitrogen Gut bacteria seem to affect organ function Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com . Thanks for listening! Subscribe at iTunes, check out the show at Twitter or SciencePodcasters.org

West Nile virus entered the United States in 1999 and is now considered a seasonal epidemic that starts in the summer and continues into the fall. First isolated in Uganda in 1937, the virus can cause severe human meningitis or encephalitis in 1% of those infected.  In2007 the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported 124 fatalities. The rapid spread of West Nile virus has put local and state mosquito surveillance programs on the front line of public health and disease preparedness. In this episode, MicrobeWorld Video interviews Dr. Jorge Arias, an expert in vector-borne diseases of the Americas. Arias currently serves as the Environmental Health Supervisor of the Fairfax County Health Department in Northern Virginia. In this role, he is responsible for directing the Disease-Carrying Insects Program which focuses on West Nile virus and Lyme disease. For more information about West Nile Virus, please visit: *U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm*National Pesticide Information Center - http://npic.orst.edu/wnv/*Fairfax County Health Department - http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hd/westnile/ This episode was filmed at the Marian Koshland Science Museum, the Fairfax County Health Department, Huntley Meadows Park in Fairfax, Va., and the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.