MicrobeWorld

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Read More

David writes:

Dear Twiv Folks

I teach an intro biology course on viruses at Vassar College. We do our introductory biology a little bit differently; each class has a theme through which we explore the fundamental principles of biology. Mine is on viruses and t... Read More

Julian Davies, Professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia and a Fellow of the Royal Society, has authored a humorous post on the Small Things Considered blog on the various methods an attendee of a scientific meeting can employ to enhance "maximum satisfaction and poise" one gets o... Read More

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit... Read More

If you know anything about snakes you might be familiar with snake inclusion body disease, or IBD. This transmissible and fatal disease affects snakes of a variety of species but has been best studied in boas. The name comes from the presence of large masses (inclusions) in the cytoplasm of cell... Read More

At first glance, the inaugural 1812 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine and Surgery, and the Collateral Branches of Science seems reassuringly familiar: a review of angina pectoris, articles on infant diarrhea and burns. The apparent similarity to today's Journal, however, obscures a fu... Read More

El podcast del Microbio Nº217 describes the symbiosis between the squid Euprymna scolopes and the bacteria Vibrio fischeri.... Read More

The Judges' Choice for The Scientist magazine's 2011 Labby Multimedia Awards is this cute video on how microbes are essential for snow formation.








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The expression “Happy as a Clam” comes with new meaning as hepatitis A virus has been detected in clams, mussels, and oysters in markets for human consumption. As bivalve shellfish are excellent bio-accumulators of contaminants and chemicals, it is no surprise that they also harbor waterborne vi... Read More

Peter writes:

Dear TWiM Team

A fascinating article from New Scientist this week.

Standard medical teaching is that the foetus is sterile and that the microbiome only begins to develop post natal.

New research from Spain indicates that the microbiome s... Read More

This is a really cool Google Maps mash up that geo-locates breaking health news on a map. You can sort by official government announcements, news wires, infectious disease types, zoom to countries, local areas and more. Great for looking at Swine Flu reporting as it happens. Read More

This 2000 paper, published in Chest, shows that chicken soup is capable of inhibiting neutrophil chemotaxis in vitro, thus providing some evidence for the soup's traditional role as a home cure for respiratory infections.

Helpfully, the soup recipe used in the study is also included. And it ... Read More

This episode: Using glowing bacteria to image tumors in the body!

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Human Lyme disease is caused by a number of related Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species. We report here the complete genome sequence of Borrelia sp. isolate SV1 from Finland. Read More

Jim writes:

How about using compost that includes road kill? I heard a billion pounds of animal byproducts go to landfills rather than into animal feed to prevent spread of mad cow disease. Compost that, too?

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Virginia may compost roadkill<... Read More

What is a vaccine, and why do we need them? How do vaccines work, and how were they developed? In this lesson, students gauge their previous knowledge about vaccines. They then explore the history and biology of vaccines and create educational posters on the nature of vaccines and public opinion... Read More

David writes:

Love the TWIPs! I'm a helminth user (25 hookworm for allergies), so your programs are fascinating!

Dr. Racaniello, after listening to TWIP 33 where you were discussing the history of your surname, I thought I'd give your listeners a way to remember you... Read More

El podcast del Microbio 169 resumes the recent Molecular Cell paper about the crystal structure of Mycobacterium tuberculo... Read More

This is a great online children's book about the role of bacteria in our lives by Dr. Mel Rosenberg for ages 3+. Read More

A team of researchers from The Wistar Institute has identified a protein that could serve as a target for reprogramming immune system cells exhausted by exposure to chronic viral infection into more effective "soldiers" against certain viruses like HIV, hepatitis C, and hepatitis B, as well as s... Read More