The STC team is taking its customary summer vacation, this year for five weeks. Do you think we deserve it? We do. We look forward to seeing you again on July 21! Read more →
Retrospective, January to June 2025
by the STC Team — In keeping with tradition, here is the list of our posts from the last half year. Read more →
Koyaanisqatsi
Noteworthy — Summer break for us is almost here. We'll post our January – June 2025 Retrospective next Monday and then its Summer Vacation for STC! As we end our first semester of "Noteworthy" post experiment we're straying off topic. We're drawing your attention to a film, and it is not a film about microbes. Read more →
Lost & Found #7
by Christoph — As in 'Lost & Found #1–6', there are three bookmarks that caught my eye when I was cleaning up our account on 𝕏 (formerly Twitter). And which might still be worth a quick look for you, too, I hope, so here it is 'Lost & Found #7'. Read more →
Gene Location Matters
Noteworthy — Bacterial genomes are not a laundry list of genes, but dynamic structures intimately connected with cellular function. As a result, natural selection has a heavy hand in shaping chromosomal architecture – the position of genes within chromosomes – into configurations that best coordinate gene expression. Read more →
The Remarkable Julian Davies
by Roberto — If I were asked to name scientists who have deeply influenced the evolution of my own thinking along the decades, there's little doubt that Julian Davies would be at the top of the list. Julian died this past February 2nd, shortly after turning 93. Read more →
A Most Useful Light Switch
Noteworthy — Phytoplankton, photosynthetic microbes that inhabit surface ocean waters, form the base of marine food webs. These keystone microbes are the oceans' primary producers. Importantly, their ability to carry out photosynthesis depends on their ability to make chlorophyll. Read more →
Zombie Ants and the Evolution of Mind Control
by Clio Morata de Jong and Nico Morales — In the realm of natural mind control, few phenomena are as gripping – literally – as the death grip of the parasitic fungus in the genus Ophiocordyceps. This fungus doesn't just kill its carpenter ant hosts; it transforms them into instruments of fungal propagation. Read more →
CRISPR-Based Metabarcoding
Noteworthy — Microbes are abundant and very diverse. But acknowledging their significance in our biosphere has taken time and relied on curiosity, hard work, and the development of technologies to access, identify, and study microbial communities. Read more →
Lost & Found #6
by Christoph — In this episode, again three bookmarks that came to my attention while cleaning up our account on 𝕏 (formerly Twitter) and that are not at all out of date. Give them a brief look and judge for yourself. Here is Lost & Found #6. Read more →