by Elio
The journal Nature published a study of the most 100 most cited scientific papers that provides food for thought to the working stiffs (I used to be one). First of all, I find it quite natural for any researcher to keep an eye on how often his or her work is cited.
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[da capo] The Magasanik Paradox
E. coli aficionados, do your strains have the wild-type rpoS gene?
by Roberto
For many of you, the rpoS allele in your E. coli strains might not matter. But if you are interested in the general stress response or adaptations to stationary phase, you might want to know if you are starting out with a wild-type rpoS gene.
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On Being 70
by Roberto
A little over fifteen years ago in the early days of STC, in a post Elio called "On Being 80," he celebrated his 80th birthday by sharing his life experience of melding his love of bacteria at the bench with his love of hunting mushrooms in the wild.
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Thoughts on Lactate
by Roberto
In the past, when I thought about lactate (or lactic acid), two things immediately came to mind: the many ways lactic acid bacteria (LAB) furnish us with delicious, fermented foods and the grueling "lactate threshold" training sessions in preparing for endurance athletic events.
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[da capo] Of Terms in Biology: Neuston
by Merry
When I stumbled across the term bacterioneuston, I discovered a whole new world where the air meets the sea. I found that marine neuston had long been used to refer to the diverse flora and fauna inhabiting the topmost 5 cm of the oceans — a distinctly different assemblage than found in the waters below.
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AvL, Taste, and the Discovery of Bacteria
by Roberto
Before approaching matters of taste, I'll explain AvL. To many of our readers, the meaning of the acronym will be immediately apparent. But to others, perhaps those newer to microbiology, it may have no meaning at all. AvL is short for Antonie van Leeuwenhoek...
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Protein Synthesis – A Molecular Happening
by Roberto
More than fifty years ago, towards the end of Spring term in May 1971, university campuses across the U.S. were rife with protests over the Vietnam war. Students skipped classes and left labs to participate in marches and sit-ins. In addition, the memory of Woodstock (August 1969) was still fresh in everyone's mind.
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A Post-Human Biosphere
by Roberto
Only very rarely have I had the experience of serendipitously running into an article that is entertaining, hugely informative, and shocking all at once. It happened last week and I feel utterly compelled to provide brief comments interspersed among quotes from sections that I found particularly striking and thought provoking.
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Colorful AgarArt from DARWIN
by Manuel Porcar
At DARWIN, beyond our main commercial goal of developing microbial solutions for the industry, we are also trying to develop new artistic bio-inspired languages in which microorganisms may play a key role. In the frame of such exploration, we are developing culture media that combine...
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Sizzling Summer
by Mechas
Whether on vacation, hard at work, or just wandering through the day, we are constantly at risk of being unsettled by encroaching tidbits of unsolicited news. In the past weeks, climate-change-associated disasters have taken prevalence: record-breaking high temperatures in Siberia, devastating rains in Europe and the US, and heat waves and yet more heat waves...
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