virology blog

About viruses and viral disease

microbiology

TWiM #2 – The plague, microbial virulence, and the gut microbiome

by

gut microbiomeOn episode #2 of This Week in Microbiology, Vincent, Cliff, and Michael review a fatal laboratory acquired Yersinia pestis infection, and how gut bacteria control body weight and metabolic activity..

[powerpress url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/twimshow/TWiM002.mp3″]

Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiM #2 (52 MB .mp3, 75 minutes).

Subscribe to TWiM (free) at iTunes, the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, or by email, or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld App.

Links for this episode:

Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twim@microbe.tv or leave voicemail at 908-312-0760. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twim.

This Week in Microbiology

by

This Week in MicrobiologyHosts: Vincent Racaniello, Cliff Mintz, Michael Schmidt, and Stanley Maloy

I’m pleased to announce the launch today of This Week in Microbiology, a podcast that explores unseen life on Earth. As with our other podcasts This Week in Virology (TWiV) and This Week in Parasitism (TWiP), we will strive to produce an informal yet informative conversation about microbes which is accessible to everyone, no matter what their science background.

As a science Professor at Columbia University, I have spent my academic career directing a research laboratory focused on viruses. My enthusiasm for teaching inspired me to reach beyond the classroom using new media. TWiM is for everyone who wants to learn about the science of microbiology in a casual way.

While there are no exams or pop quizzes, TWiM does encourage interaction with the audience via comments on specific episodes (see below) and email. Listeners can also use MicrobeWorld to suggest topics for the show by submitting articles or papers to the site and tagging them with twim.

On episode #1 of This Week in Microbiology, Vincent, Cliff, Michael, and Stan discuss transfer of DNA from a human host to a bacterial pathogen, and the ability of dry copper to kill bacteria on contact.

[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/twimshow/TWiM_1_-_Neisseria_LINEs_up.mp3 | titles=TWiM 1]

Download TWiM #1 (58 MB .mp3, 63 minutes). To download, right-click or control-click on the link, then select save as.

Subscribe to TWiM (free) at iTunes, the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, or by email, or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld App.

Links for this episode:

Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twim@microbe.tv or leave voicemail at 908-312-0760. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twim.

Microbiology books for kids

by

On TWiV 87 a listener asked us to recommend suitable books for children about microbiology. I have since asked for suggestions on Twitter and Facebook, and have begun to compile the following list.

  • The Invisible ABC’s by Rodney P. Anderson
  • The Magic School Bus #6: The Giant Germ by Anne Capeci
  • A World in a Drop of Water by Alvin and Virginia Silverstein
  • The Usborne Complete Book of the Microscope by Kirsteen Rogers
  • Jig, Jiggle, Sneeze by Joy Vitalis
  • Germs Make Me Sick! by Melvin Berger
  • Germ Stories by (Nobel prize winner) Arthur Kornberg (reviewed)
  • Invisible Allies: Microbes that shape our lives by Jeanette Farrell
  • Five Kids & A Monkey Investigate a Vicious Virus by Beth L. Blair
  • DNA is Here to Stay by Fran Balkwill

If you know of good microbiology books for children (ages 5-teen) please add them to the comments section, or email them to virology@virology.ws and I’ll add them to this list.

Update: Thanks to the readers who have sent in their suggestions. They are listed above in the order in which I received them.

Microbiology education and social media

by

At the Spring 2010 meeting of the Society for General Microbiology In Edinburgh I spoke about ‘Social Media in Microbiology Education and Research’. In my presentation I reviewed how I use blogging, podcasting, and other social media tools to teach the public about viruses.

Below is a video recording of my presentation. Many thanks to Prof. AJ Cann for the opportunity to speak about our efforts. I also enjoyed excellent presentations by Prof. Graham Hatfull, Cameron Neylon, Kevin Emamy of citeulike, and Jason Hoyt of Mendeley.

TWiV 35: Much achoo about nothing

by

twiv-200In episode 35 of the podcast “This Week in Virology”, Vincent, Alan, Dick, and Richard Kessin talk about Lujo virus, a new arenavirus, influenza, WHO rewriting pandemic rules, adjuvants, and a brief history of microbiology.

[powerpress url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/twiv/TWiV035.mp3″]

Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiV #35 or subscribe in iTunes or by email.

TWiV #25: Viral evolution

by

twiv_aa_2001In episode #25 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent, Alan, and Luis Villarreal talk about rabies in Viet Nam and Angola, needle-stick infections with ebolavirus and West Nile virus, and viral evolution.

Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiV #25 or subscribe in iTunes or by email.