All about the microbes we encounter in our daily lives (with or without realizing it). The Joyful Microbe podcast helps you see how bacteria, fungi, viruses, archaea, and protozoa live everywhere around us and constantly impact our lives. Host Justine Dees, PhD talks to microbiology experts of all kinds to share the amazing variety of these fascinating microorganisms. Usually, we think of infections, but microbiology is SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.
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The podcast for microbe lovers: reporting on exciting news about bacteria, archaea, and sometimes even eukaryotic microbes and viruses.
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My ramblings and thoughts as I scurry around on this rock in space like all the creatures, bacteria, archaea, and amoebae before me.
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A podcast where we talk to scientists about the paths they’ve taken to get where they are today and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.
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Making Microscopy Accessible with Foldscope: Holly Stuart
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Understanding microbes is an essential part of appreciating the natural world and our environment. But exploring microbiology using a traditional microscope comes with the potential barriers of cost and complexity, sometimes preventing hands-on learning experiences in schools and communities. Imagine having the power to explore the microscopic worl…
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Plastic waste in our oceans is a significant problem, but some bacteria might offer a solution. Did you know that certain bacteria can break down plastic? Plastic pollution affects wildlife and can even enter our food and water. As plastic production increases, finding better ways to manage this material is essential. Current recycling methods are …
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Lichen Basics: Dr. Jessica Allen
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Have you ever noticed the colorful growths on trees and rocks but weren't sure what they were? Lichens are all around us yet often overlooked. They play important roles in ecosystems and can even indicate air quality. Many people don't fully understand these symbiotic organisms or appreciate their significance. In this episode, you'll learn about t…
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This episode: Trends of declining lichen populations and biocrust cover overall match trends of increasing temperatures in Colorado dryland! Download Episode (6.4 MB, 9.3 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Cherry chlorotic rusty spot associated partitivirus Takeaways: Global climate change is affecting almost every natural system on the p…
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Have you ever noticed little white fluffy spots or yellowish patches on your lettuce at the grocery store? This could be downy mildew, a microbe that infects lettuce and other leafy greens. This microbe might not be well-known, but it's of great importance due to its effects on the agriculture industry and the food we buy. It poses a significant ch…
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Safe Chicken Handling from Supermarket to Backyard: Dr. Andrea Etter
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While many microbes bring benefits, pathogens are the focus when ensuring food safety. This episode dives into practical tips for enjoying chicken, whether you buy chicken or eggs from the store or raise your own chickens for eggs in your backyard. Join food safety expert Dr. Andrea Etter as she shares insights into preventing foodborne illnesses c…
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This episode: A virus partners with a parasitoid wasp to help exploit fruit fly victims! Download Episode (7.7 MB, 11.2 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Actinomadura livida Takeaways Parasitoid wasps have an interesting lifestyle: they inject their eggs into the larvae of other insects, and their young hatch and grow up by consuming the…
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Have you ever stopped to think about the bustling world of life thriving right on your skin? Billions of microscopic organisms, collectively known as the skin microbiome, call this complex ecosystem home, playing a vital role in our health. Many of us are unaware of the intricate dance between our skin and its microbial residents. This delicate bal…
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This episode: Many organisms produce the smell of earth, geosmin, and many others can sense it–but why? Download Episode (6.0 MB, 8.7 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Acidianus spindle-shaped virus 1 News item Takeaways The smell of soil or earth is one of the most recognizable smells, and comes largely from a chemical called geosmin, p…
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Have you ever thought about the trillions of invisible, microscopic entities inhabiting your body right now? While much of the microbiome spotlight shines on bacteria, there's a hidden side to this story that many people overlook. In this podcast episode, we discuss the lesser-known residents of our microbiome: viruses. These tiny but potent entiti…
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This episode: Slime mold amoebas Fonticula alba have interesting and unique foraging and reproductive behaviors! Download Episode (7.3 MB, 10.6 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Cajanus cajan Panzee virus News item Takeaways How did life develop from single-celled organisms acting independently into the complex, multicellular organisms w…
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This episode: A probiotic strain of E. coli can target and destroy pathogens that survive a treatment of antibiotics! Download Episode (8.2 MB, 12 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Streptomyces griseoruber Takeaways Antibiotic resistance is becoming more and more of a problem as bacterial pathogens develop resistance to more and more dru…
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This episode: Incorporating light-absorbing molecules into bacterial membranes can allow bacteria to use solar energy to transform nitrogen gas into fertilizer! Download Episode (6.5 MB, 9.9 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Wheat dwarf virus Takeaways Turning nitrogen gas into biologically useful compounds, such as protein or ammonia fo…
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Are you curious about how microbes are involved in creating a more sustainable world? Those tiny, often-overlooked organisms hold a remarkable secret — the power to break down chemicals through biodegradation. Imagine a world where plastics and other challenging compounds, often seen as environmental villains, could be transformed into environmenta…
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This episode: A marine protist predator traps prey microbes in an attractive bubble of mucus, eats what it wants, and lets the rest sink, possibly sequestering significant amounts of carbon! Download Episode (7.8 MB, 11.4 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Bat associated cyclovirus 1 News item Takeaways The oceans have a lot of unique, un…
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This episode: Certain phages in the gut are linked with increases in performance on some cognitive tests! Download Episode (7.5 MB, 10.9 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Streptomyces bikiniensis News item Takeaways Our gut microbiota includes a large number of viruses, mostly bacteriophages. These fall into two groups, the lytic kind th…
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This episode: Adding tags to proteins to increase their degradation can help engineered bacteria grow and survive better under various conditions! Download Episode (7.3 MB, 10.4 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Lactococcus virus sk1 News item Takeaways Engineering bacteria with new genetic pathways allows us to use them in many new and …
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Lab coats are an integral part of the world of microbiology, serving as a vital piece of personal protective equipment (PPE). When we envision a microbiologist at work wearing their crisp lab coat, we often associate it with professionalism and scientific rigor. However, the reality is that lab coats, while essential, don't always live up to expect…
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This episode: Single-celled bacteria can act independently to create patterns and structure in their biofilm communities! Download Episode (9.6 MB, 14.0 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Dictyostelium discoideum Skipper virus News item Takeaways Large multicellular organisms like us have interesting mechanisms for using one set of geneti…
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Teaching High School Microbiology with Passion and Purpose: Clara Marcelín
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Are you a science educator who wants to spark curiosity in your high school students with microbiology? In this world of information overload and digital distractions, capturing the attention of today's learners might seem like an uphill battle. That’s why, in this podcast episode, I chatted with Clara Marcelín, a seasoned high school science educa…
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This episode: Gene transfers between viruses and eukaryotes have happened many times throughout evolutionary history! Download Episode (7.5 MB, 10.9 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Mycoplasma subdolum News item Takeaways As we’ve all seen recently, viruses can cause a lot of trouble. Their biology requires them to be parasites inside t…
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Have you ever caught a whiff of something and wondered, "What in the world is responsible for this?" Well, the world of microbes might hold the answer. These tiny organisms, invisible to the naked eye, have the remarkable ability to produce smells that range from delightful to downright repulsive. It's a world where the nose becomes a gateway to a …
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This episode: Human-based food used as bait by hunters can reduce bears' gut microbe diversity! Download Episode (5.9 MB, 8.6 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Actinomadura verrucosospora News item Takeaways Gut microbes are important for the health of most animals. In humans, many things can affect our gut microbe community, including d…
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What Really Makes Something Dirty: Dr. Sandra Wilks
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In a world where news articles claim that your water bottle has more bacteria than a toilet seat, it's natural to worry about microorganisms making you sick. However, it’s important to embrace the microbial world around us because they play crucial roles in our lives, and without them, we would be in bad shape. So, in this episode of the Joyful Mic…
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In this episode, we dive into the captivating world of algae and biotechnology with Dr. Kyle Lauersen. He is an Assistant Professor at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia and leads a research group focusing on engineering algae for useful purposes. We cover everything from the basics of algae and their…
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This episode: Simple microscopic animals can survive extreme radiation by ejecting damaged cells that might otherwise become cancer! Download Episode (7.3 MB, 9.2 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Helleborus net necrosis virus News item Takeaways Any multicellular organism with different types of cells needs some sort of cell regulation,…
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I'm thrilled to announce that in this podcast episode, I read the introduction chapter of my brand new ebook, Joyful Microbiology Activities. This book has been a labor of love, and I'm so excited to share it with you. Microbiology is a fascinating subject studying organisms that are often viewed negatively as “those gross and scary germs.” However…
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This episode: How family members share gut microbes across multiple generations! Download Episode (7.3 MB, 10.7 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Dyozetapapillomavirus 1 Takeaways Our gut’s microbial communities can greatly influence our health, for good or bad. The makeup of these communities can be influenced by many factors, including…
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Dr. Jake Robinson is a microbial ecologist at Flinders University and researches microbes, ecosystems, social equity issues, and ways to conserve and restore nature. He studies how microbes can benefit human health and not just cause disease. He is also the author of the new book Invisible Friends. He came on the podcast to discuss a variety of top…
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This episode: Bacteriophages can hitch a ride on bacteria they don't infect to travel through soil on fungal filaments, potentially helping their carriers by infecting and killing their competitors! Download Episode (7.1 MB, 10.3 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Epinotia aporema granulovirus News item Takeaways For tiny bacteria, partia…
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This episode: Beetles inoculate bamboo with a fungus that consumes the bamboo sugars to feed the beetle larvae! Download Episode (7.7 MB, 11.2 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Saccharomyces cerevisiae virus L-BC (La) News item Video: Lizard beetle laying its egg Takeaways The structural polymers that make up plants, such as cellulose, c…
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This episode: New techniques allow specific modifications in certain members of a complex community of microbes, without isolating them in pure culture first! Download Episode (11.5 MB, 16.7 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Tomato golden mosaic virus News item Takeaways The technology for understanding and manipulating microbial genetic…
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This episode: Predatory bacteria could protect lobster farms from disease-causing bacteria! Download Episode (4.8 MB, 7 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Gordonia rubripertincta Takeaways Antibiotics have done wonders for controlling bacterial pathogens. Many people have lived that would otherwise have died, and some industries have prod…
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This episode: A bacteriophage that overcomes the bacterial CRISPR/Cas immune system by interrupting the CRISPR DNA with its own genome! Download Episode (6.8 MB, 10 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Wenzhou mammarenavirus Takeaways Bacteria have many ways to resist being exploited by bacteriophage viruses, including the adaptable CRISPR/…
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This episode: Bacteria can use blobs of disordered proteins to quickly adapt to new conditions! Thanks to Dr. Saumya Saurabh for his contribution! Download Episode (10.9 MB, 15.9 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Drosophila melanogaster Micropia virus Takeaways Bacteria can adapt to environmental fluctuations via mechanisms operating at …
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We are celebrating, microbe friends! This month marks the 4th anniversary of Joyful Microbe!!! I’ve had such a blast creating articles, podcast episodes, and other resources to help you enjoy microbes in your daily lives and spread knowledge about the microbial world with others. In this episode, I’m featuring ideas and tips about microbiology educ…
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A vast number of microbes live on our skin, in our gut, and almost everywhere else you can imagine on and in our bodies. Collectively, these microbes are called the human microbiome and play a crucial role in our health and well-being. Different locations on our bodies contain a specific set of microbes, which are individual microbiomes, i.e., the …
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This episode: A phage both kills bacterial pathogens and selects for reduced virulence! Download Episode (6.3 MB, 9.9 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Helminthosporium victoriae 145S virus News item Takeaways Using bacteria-killing viruses to treat bacterial infections, or phage therapy, can be a good alternative to antibiotics in some …
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Tardigrades are beloved microorganisms. These little water bears hide in moss, lichen, and bark of trees. When kids discover tardigrades, it often sparks an interest in science. If you haven’t personally experienced finding a tardigrade under the microscope, I promise it makes a significant impact. In this podcast episode, you’ll get the chance to …
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This episode: Tiny bacteria that live on larger bacteria reduce the inflammation and gum disease the bigger microbes cause in the mouths of mice! Download Episode (6.3 MB, 9.2 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Actinomadura viridilutea Takeaways Even bacteria can be hosts to smaller symbionts living on them. Some kinds of these extremely …
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The Microbiology of Fermented Foods: Dr. John Leech
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Fermented foods like beer, wine, bread, sauerkraut, yogurt, and kombucha are delicious to eat and fun to make at home. And we can give credit to microbes for the wonderful flavors of these foods. The process of fermentation is when microbes transform food so that it extends its shelf life, improves the taste, or makes it beneficial to consume. In t…
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Microbiology Activities for High School Students: Jessica Popescu
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The K-12 curriculum does not cover microbiology much at all. But this area of science matters. Children need a complete understanding of the microorganisms that play roles in our health, like the microbiome, and diseases, like germs. That way, they’ll carry these concepts into adulthood, ultimately helping keep them healthier. Despite the lack of m…
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This episode: A virus lurking in a bacterial genome protects its host population from infection with other phages, by killing off infected cells! Download Episode (7.6 MB, 11.0 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Olive latent ringspot virus Takeaways Many bacteriophages just go in and gobble up all their host's resources to make a bunch of…
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How do you explain microbiology to a child? It’s an abstract topic since you can’t readily see microbes due to their size. So, to help your kids visualize microbes, you can read them a children’s book specifically about microbiology. I’ve featured a few excellent microbiology books for kids before on Joyful Microbe. But after I found out about Dr. …
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The words bacteria and beauty are not usually associated. But some bacteria make beautiful colors that span the entire rainbow. And one type of bacteria called Streptomyces coelicolor makes an antibiotic with a lovely blue pigment. This blue-colored antibiotic, called actinorhodin, inspired microbiologist Dr. Vineetha Zacharia, a postdoctoral resea…
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This episode: Harmless gut microbes resist cholera with good defense or better offense! Download Episode (5.8 MB, 8.4 minutes) Show notes: Microbe of the episode: Streptomyces corchorusii News item Takeaways The community of microbes in our guts is highly diverse, yet generally they all coexist relatively peacefully. Some pathogens can invade this …
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In this episode, we’re hearing from Dr. Gonzalo Giribet, who is a Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and the Curator of Invertebrates and Director of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Gonzalo received his bachelor’s degree and his PhD from the University of Barcelona, then did his postdoc at the American Museum of Natural History in …
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In today’s episode we’re talking to Dr. Paula Welander, an Associate Professor in the Earth Systems Science Department at Stanford University. Although she is now a tenured professor at Stanford, this certainly wasn’t the plan from the start. Paula’s parents immigrated from Mexico in the hopes of giving their family a better life, and they really e…
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Dr. Sarah Wettstadt is the founder of the BacterialWorld blog and loves sharing about bacteria and all of the amazing things they do in the world. So I know you’ll enjoy hearing this episode where we talk about the superpowers bacteria have and how bacteria can help us save the world. In this episode, you will learn about… 4 bacterial superpowers 3…
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S2E7: The value of PhD soft skills with Dr. Rebecca Shaw, Chief Scientist at the World Wildlife Fund
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In this week’s episode, we’re hearing from Dr. Rebecca Shaw, the Chief Scientist at the World Wildlife Fund. Rebecca received her MA in environmental policy and her PhD in energy and resources from UC Berkeley. After finishing her PhD, Rebecca did a postdoc at the Carnegie Institution for Science at Stanford, and then worked at the Nature Conservan…
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