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Matters Microbial #110: Enumerating the Microbiome

Matters Microbial

Release Date: 10/03/2025

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Matters Microbial #110: Enumerating the Microbiome

October 3, 2025

Today Dr. Sean Gibbons, Associate Professor at the Institute for Systems Biology, returns to the #QualityQuorum to tell us about how he and his colleagues are able to listen very carefully to the microbiome to uncover important hints about health.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Sean Gibbons

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify

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  • Here is the article from Dr. Norm Pace and coworkers on the showerhead microbiome referenced in the podcast.
  • Here is a nonspecialist summary of Dr. Pace’s work on the showerhead microbiome and mycobacteria.
  • Here is a link to a prior episode of this podcast with Dr. Ameet Pinto on microbiology of the water supply.
  • Here is Dr. Gibbon’s earlier visit to this podcast.
  • An overview of the difference between microbiome and microbiota.
  • An article about the “misnumbering” of the number of microbial to human cells in people.  Here is a nonspecialist summary.
  • An overview of metagenomics.
  • An overview of qPCR.
  • An overview of flow cytometry.
  • Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, discussed in this podcast.
  • A cautionary tale about determining a cancer microbiome, as discussed in this podcast.
  • An article by Dr. Gibbons and colleagues described in this podcast about how to estimate microbial biomass directly.
  • An article by Dr. Gibbons and colleagues described in this podcast about how to estimate microbial growth rates in the human gut using metagenomics.
  • An article by Dr. Gibbons and colleagues described in this podcast about how to use metagenomics to determine dietary habits.
  • The website for Dr. Gibbon’s research group.
  • The faculty website for Dr. Gibbons at ISB.
  • Courses on microbiome sciences online at ISB.
  • The website for Institute for Systems Biology.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com