Small Things Considered

Must Read – Time to Cut Down the Tree of For-Profit Science Publishing

by Roberto | Here at STC we have covered the growing problems with the way that scientific publishing has evolved over the past few deca­des. Two instances come to mind, a conversation I held with George O'Toole and a recent praise of the eLife model as a step in the right direction to alleviate some of the problems. Our voices... Read more →

Will the real phage lambda please stand up?

by Nicholas Redmond | Phage infection of a bacterial cell typically begins when the phage’s tail fibers bind a receptor on the host cell, allowing for the ejection of genetic material. At this point, either the lytic or lysogenic cycle begins. Read more →

Hans Christian Gram

by Elio and Roberto | In 2013, an article  on the Gram stain appeared in these pages. It celebrated the persistence of this procedure in microbiology, as well as its origins. In the early days of bacteriology, staining was a key technique, at first even more important than cultivation. Read more →

In and About Copenhagen

by Roberto | Not too many months ago Elio posted an engaging and very personal essay of his two years in Copenhagen. Those years spanned from 1956 to 1958, a mere 62 years ago, at a time when I was still in pre-school. While editing Elio's text, I was quite taken by his description of those days as "most likely the happiest of my life." Read more →

Discovering a Novel Algal-Fungal Symbiosis and a Humanized Journal

by Elio | Lichens are said to occupy an astounding 6% of the surface of Earth’s land mass, so pay attention. As you are well aware, lichens arise by the symbiotic interaction of fungi and algae (or sometimes cyanobacteria). And as you know, they consist of separate individuals of the two partners, each benefiting from the interaction. Read more →

Pictures Considered #47: Phages in the Gardens

by Roberto | A few weeks ago, I found myself aimlessly exploring the garden of the Palace of Holyroodhouse (Edinburgh, Scotland), which has served as the principal residence of the Kings and Queens of Scots since the 16th century. Read more →

«let not Vanity ſeduce you...»

by Christoph | «let not Vanity ſeduce you to per­ſiſt in your Miſ­take». No, it's not a spel­ling mis­take that you see here. It's the 'long ſ', which was used in print well into the 18th cen­tu­ry. And also the ca­pi­ta­li­za­tion of nouns, un­usual to­day, was com­mon in 1743 when Hen­ry Ba­ker's trea­tise The Mi­cro­sco­pe Made Ea­sy was pub­lished... Read more →

Summer Vacation

by the STC team
We are taking our customary two week vacation. Do you think we deserve it ? Looking forward to seeing you again on July 8th ! Read more →

Good Readings

by Elio | Here are books that cry out to be read. I start out with a list that appeared in a website called Five Books under The best books on Microbes. Read more →

Of Terms in Biology: Colicins, Bacteriocins, Pyocins and Tailocins

by Roberto | This is the tale of the tail, of a phage. Years before Alexander Fleming's chance discovery of penicillin, many scientists were already interested in bacteriolytic activities. Bacteriophages played a big role in the early days of searches for bacterial killers. Read more →