by Roberto — Altiarchaeum hamiconexum is a relatively recent addition to the growing list of microbial primary producers, i.e. those that fix CO2. Its first sightings date back only a little more than twenty years and its ability to fix carbon was recognized only the last decade. And, as so many microbes, it has thus far resisted cultivation. Read more →
Extremely Slow Growth in the Seabed
by Roberto — Estimates are that, at the global scale, there are more microbial cells – maybe 5 x 10^29 – in the seabed than in the water column above. These cells are not just near the seafloor, many of them lie buried deep in the sediment. Very deep indeed, as deep as 2.5 kilometers. And they've been there for a long time, even millions of years. Read more →
Microbes and Methane
by Roberto — If you're looking for a primer on microbes and methane (as was I, recently) I direct you to a timely report from an American Academy of Microbiology (AAM) colloquium on the subject. It's excellent reading as it contains a treasure trove of information along with an impressive list of references, for those who want to take a deeper dive into the subject. Read more →
A Whiff of Taxonomy – Atribacter laminatus
by Christoph — The image is way too large to show it here, but when you join me and Hug et al. (2016) for "A new view of the tree of life" here, you can spot a bunch of names of bacterial phyla in the top left corner that sound unfamiliar. One of those, Atribacteria, is at the top of the column with Aquificae, Calescamantes, ... , Fusobacteria. Atribacter laminatus, the first cultivated representative of the phylum Atribacteria, is the subject... Read more →
A Breath of Fresh Air – More than Just Oxygen
by Mechas — Our lives are stitched from numerous activities, many of which go largely unnoticed. One of these is breathing, which is essential but only occasionally acknowledged. Read more →
Enlightened by Microbial Rhodopsins
by Mechas — The cold and dark northern winter days evoke nostalgia for the comfort and warmth of sunshine. We may take the sun for granted or even shun its scorching rays in hot weather, but we seldom think about the complex process of building life from solar energy, the foundation of our existence. Read more →
Earth History – Microbial Numbers and Impact
by Roberto — I find solace in putting my life in perspective. And one of my favorite ways to approach this is to consider life at scales that are orders of magnitude away from my direct experience. Since all the life we know of is on Earth, here are a few of Earth's basic numbers... Read more →
The Microbes of the Lost World of Cuatro Ciénagas
by Roberto — What makes Cuatro Ciénagas unique is that its phosphorus content has been extremely low for a very very long time. The authors suggest that this chemical feature of extreme nutrient unbalance has created a real life lost world... Read more →
Pore Hopping
by Christoph — In his recent post, Roberto was pleased to learn of a study addressing bacterial chemical ecology within a very small ecosystem, namely the hair follicles of human skin, where Cutibacterium acnes contend with Staphylococci. Here now, it's again about C. acnes, but this time about several strains competing for growth in human hair follicles, pores. An ecological family affair, so to speak. Read more →
Chemical Ecology of the Skin Microbiota
by Roberto — The secretion of small molecules is likely one of the most common ways in which bacteria interact with other bacteria, regardless of their environmental setting. Like many others, I like to refer to that universe of chemical interactions as "bacterial chemical ecology." Read more →