by Janie
It's probably fair to say that people, when afraid, turn to stories and to science for solace. The last year and a half has solidified that: the yarns spun range from conspiracy theories to escapist novels that transport the reader far, far away from bleaker realities (The Midnight Library phenomenon, anyone?)...
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On Stories and Science, Plus Fish
The Riddle of Life
by Daniel
Book Review: How Molecular Forces and Rotating Planets Create Life: The Emergence and Evolution of Prokaryotic Cells by Jan Spitzer
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Thankfully We Aren't Facing Ebolenza
by Daniel
If you haven't had your fill of pandemic related media yet, there is one recent novel that you may want to add to the Spring/Summer reading list. Even if you're tired of hearing about SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, The End of October...
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Book Review: The Genesis Quest
by Janie
The Genesis Quest is a tour-de-force recount of the eclectic effort to understand the origins of life on Earth, authored by science writer Michael Marshall. Here is a tale that spans from prebiotic chemistry to protocells, interlaced with tales of the idiosyncrasies of the scientists involved...
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Microbiology for All Ages: More Small Friends Considered
by Daniel
The purpose of this blog is "to share our appreciation for the width and depth of the microbial activities on this planet." Isn’t it fantastic when that sense of microbiological wonder can also be shared with a child?
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Microbes Aren't Mooks: The Abiding
Threat of Antibiotic Resistance
by Daniel
The phrase 'mook chivalry' might not be recognized by many of our readers, but the situation it describes will certainly be familiar: A hero faces a crowd of villains who are ready to attack.
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Pandemic Readings Considered
by Daniel | As we all hunker down in quarantine from the global spread of SARS-CoV-2 and associated COVID19, some may have extra time available, perhaps to pick up a good book. We therefore thought we’d help out by offering a list of suggested pandemic-related readings. Read more →
A Little More Than Kin, Less Than Kind
by Daniel | The paradoxes surrounding the concept of 'kin' are not only an aspect of human familial relationships, but also central components of biology through evolution. As far as we know, all of the astounding variety of life we observe on Earth descends from a single cell, a primordial, universal common ancestor that gave rise to all current cells. In metaphor, a seed growing into all of the branches on the Tree of Life. Read more →
Membranes to Molecular Machines:
A Mechanical Vision of Life
by Janie | In his new book, Mathias Grote delves into our molecular machines with a focus on membranes and their components, especially pumps. He gives structural biology time in the limelight – a break from the genetics and genomics frenzy of the modern era. Read more →
Book Review: The Power of Plagues
by Daniel | Microbiology nonfiction books tend to fall into the academic category, basically as curated collections of review articles that detail a relatively specialized niche of the field. At the other end of the spectrum lie those books written purely for a general audience that might bring in microbiological themes within a larger scope, usually human health. Read more →