344: Ant Yogurt and Fine Chocolate
This Week in Microbiology
TWiM reveals the bacteria, acids, and enzymes behind yogurt made with ants, and a defined set of microbes that reproduces attributes of fine flavor chocolate fermentation Hosts: , , and Guest: Become a of TWiM. Links for this episode: Making yogurt (iScience) How to make (MasterClass) Defined microbes for (Nat Micro) of fine flavour (Nat Micro) Blind taste (YouTube) Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by and used with permission. Send your microbiology questions and comments to twim@microbe.tv
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343: Nucleotides to the Defense
This Week in Microbiology
TWiM explores two different ways that bacteria defend against phages through the synthesis of cyclic nucleotides. Hosts: and Become a of TWiM. Links for this episode: Decoy cyclic nucleotides in (Nature) CRISPR defense with (Nature) A decoy defence molecule to set (Nature) Cyclic oligonucleotide-based antiphage signaling system immunity (Curr Opin Immunol) Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by and used with permission. Send your microbiology questions and comments to twim@microbe.tv
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342: The Microbiome, Pancreatic Cancer, and Sleep Quality
This Week in Microbiology
TWiM explains studies that show that the oral bacterial and fungal microbiome are risk factors for pancreatic cancer, and the gut microbiome and pyruvate metabolism of older adults are a link between sleep quality and frailty. Hosts: , , and . Subscribe to TWiM (free) on , , , , or by Become a of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by and used with permission. Links for this episode risk (JAMA Oncol) 2025 (ACS) The Good, The Bad, and The Unknown (Front Cell Infect Micro) (Microorg) , and frailty (Cell Rep) (pdf) (pdf) Send your microbiology questions...
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341: Sea Star Wasting Disease
This Week in Microbiology
TWiM reveals a Vibrio as the causative agent of sea star wasting disease, and using microcolony-seq to uncover phenotypic inheritance from single cells. Hosts: and Guest: Mark O. Martin Become a of TWiM. Links for this episode: Agent of (Nat Ecol Evol) Sea star wasting (Nat Ecol Evol) Phenotypic inheritance from (Cell) Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by and used with permission. Send your microbiology questions and comments to twim@microbe.tv
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340: Microbes in Trees and Plants
This Week in Microbiology
TWiM explores the varied and distinct microbiome of trees, and an array of biopesticidal metabolites against mosquito larvae isolated from a Mediterranean island. Become a of TWiM. Links for this episode: Microbiome of (Nature) from a Mediterranean island (Appl Environ Micro) Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by and used with permission. Send your microbiology questions and comments to twim@microbe.tv
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339: Missing the Company of Elio
This Week in Microbiology
TWiM pays tribute to Elio Schaechter, former TWiM host, blogger, and microbiologist extraordinaire, then reviews the finding that Archaea produce peptidoglycan hydrolases that kill bacteria - a form of competition. Hosts: , , and . Guest . Become a of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by and used with permission. Links for this episode (Wikipedia) Service (video) Archaea produce (PLoS Biol) Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to
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338: Rewriting the Code of Life
This Week in Microbiology
TWiM discusses outbreak of Legionnaires disease in Harlem NY, an automated whole genome sequencing platform for bacterial strain typing in clinical microbiology laboratories, building E. coli with a 57-codon genetic code. Links for this episode outbreak in NY (NY Health) Automated for clinical labs (J Clin Micro) for outbreaks (J Clin Micro) code of life (NYTimes) E. coli with a (Science) E. coli with one stop codon () Become a of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by and used with permission.
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337: Lifestyles of the Plasmids
This Week in Microbiology
TWiM explains a study that examines pathogen presence in ancient humans and concludes that zoonoses emerged 6500 years ago with the domestication of livestock, and determination of universal rules that govern plasmid copy number. Hosts: , , , and Guests: Become a of TWiM. Links for this episode: in ancient Eurasia (Nature) What once (NY Times) Rules of (Nature Comm) of plasmids (Nature Comm) Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by and used with permission. Send your microbiology questions and comments to twim@microbe.tv
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336: The Volatilome of Biofluids
This Week in Microbiology
TWiM explores the use of gas sensors and machine learning to identify microbes and antimicrobial resistance in clinical specimens, and how a harmful algal bloom species releases thiamin antivitamins to suppress competitors. Become a of TWiM. Links for this episode: Microbial and antimicrobial resistance (Cell Biomaterials) Thiamin antivitamins suppress algal (mBio) Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by and used with permission. Send your microbiology questions and comments to twim@microbe.tv
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335: Slip Slidin’ Away
This Week in Microbiology
TWiM explains two strategies for bacterial competition for resources: by laying down a slippery lipid and pushing away competitors, or by breaking open cells with a spike, liberating essential nutrients. Become a of TWiM. Links for this episode: Secreting a (mBio) Lysing neighboring cells for (Science) Underwater (YouTube Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by and used with permission. Send your microbiology questions and comments to twim@microbe.tv
info_outlineTWiM describes isolation of a novel bacterial species isolated from the China Space Station, and how a chemical radar allows bacteria to detect and kill predators.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Petra Levin.
Guest Mark O. Martin.
Become a patron of TWiM.
Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.
Links for this episode
- Niallia tiangongensis from the China Space Station (Int J Syst Evol Biol)
- Bacterial chemical radar (Cell)
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Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to twim@microbe.tv