During the initial incubation I positioned the lights close to the column on the sides. Then when it was transferred to the museum the lights were mounted on rails on the ceiling.

How to Build a Giant Winogradsky Column by Scott Chimileski — In part one of my tour of the Microbial Life exhibition at the Harvard Museum of Natural History (HMNH), I wrote that the microscopy station and the live bacterial colonies are m...

schaechter.asmblog.org/schaechter/2... Small Things Considered: How to Build a Giant Winogradsky Column

We used several LED grow lights for the column in the Microbial Life exhibition @harvardmuseums.bsky.social

For today's #MicroscopyMonday, we are highlighting Scott Chimileski's (@socialmicrobes.bsky.social‬) series featuring natural chalk formations from the White Cliffs of Dover. The first image is the electron micrograph, the second is a close-up of the chalk, and the third is the cliffs.

When a biofilm grows, it must balance between the horizontal and the vertical. It’s not unlike urban sprawl. Just like many major cities, biofilms weigh the trade-offs of vertical versus horizontal growth. www.quantamagazine.org/how-a-biofil...

How a Biofilm’s Strange Shape Emerges From Cellular Geometry | Quanta Magazine Micro decisions can have macro consequences. A soft matter physicist reveals how interactions within simple cellular collectives can lead to emergent physical traits.

Micro decisions can have macro consequences. A soft matter physicist reveals how interactions within simple cellular collectives can lead to emergent physical traits. Carrie Arnold reports: www.quantamagazine.org/how-a-biofil...

RNA control of reverse transcription in a diversity-generating retroelement - Nature This study presents cryogenic electron microscopy structural analysis of a diversity-generating retroelement (DGR) reverse transcription system from Bordetella bacteriophage, with results indicating t...

New paper: our latest findings on diversity-generating retroelements (DGRs), led by Partho Ghosh's group. It's been wonderful learning about these systems over the years with Partho and all our collaborators! And still so much left to explore 🧬🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A photomicrograph of dental plaque bacteria showing two large clusters of filaments of the bacterium Corynebacterium matruchotii, colored magenta, separated by "corncob" structures made up of rows of Streptococcus bacteria, colored green. Photo by Jessica Mark Welch, more information at https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1522149113

I nominate Corynebacterium matruchotii! Organizer of dental plaque, holder of the speed record for elongation, capable of shattering into a dozen daughter cells simultaneously. @socialmicrobes.bsky.social @adaforsyth.bsky.social doi.org/10.1073/pnas... doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

The Art of Biofilm Photography: From Petri Dish to Portrait A microbiologist blends science and art to bring biofilms to life. His work, showcased in museums and books, captivates scientists and curious minds alike.

The Art of Biofilm Photography: From Petri Dish to Portrait
#Science 🧪

We're at #CellBio2024!

Come visit us in the exhibit hall to learn more about Beautiful Biology, AI@HHMI, our joint graduate programs with Johns Hopkins, our Theory Fellow program, a fun CellMap challenge, and many open positions across all of @hhmi.bsky.social.

How to grow shrubs by Christoph — Exactly eight years ago today, we introduced you to the 'Hedgehogs In Your Garden'. No, we had not turned our backs on the Small Things and became gardeners instead. Again today, it is ...

schaechter.asmblog.org/schaechter/2...
#MicroSky

If love the smell of autoclaved LB in the morning, this is your starter pack!

Reply here for an add.

go.bsky.app/Mz7MTFE

Hello Blueskis. Here is a starter pack of General Microbiology. It's a small list currently. Please feel free to self-nominate and I will add you.

go.bsky.app/QgSQHJ9

Hi, I would like to be included, thanks!

Hi! I’d like to be included 🔬

How does your favorite species elongate? 🧵 "Phenotypic plasticity in bacterial elongation among closely related species" by @mariedelaby.bsky.social, Liu Yang et al https://buff.ly/48Kw96x How do cells elongate, all over, poles, middle? Close species do it the same way right? Not quite! #Microsky

From Life at the Edge of Sight by Scott Chimileski & Roberto Kolter

Pictures Considered #64: Emergent Properties

by Roberto — Some years ago, when Scott Chimileski wrote 'Life at the Edge of Sight', we wanted to present two images that displayed emergent properties of organisms expressing collective behavior. We came...

Read more > tinyurl.com/bde3sar2
#MicroSky

Open Wide: Human Mouth Bacteria Reproduce through Rare Form of Cell Division | Marine Biological Laboratory

New 🧪 research in PNAS: One of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet is closer than you think: inside your mouth!

New research from the MBL uncovered an extraordinary mechanism of cell division in Corynebacterium matruchotii—multiple fission (splitting into multiple cells at once!)

"Without Social Distancing, How do Bacteria Survive a Viral Epidemic?"

microscopic image of a "pink berry"

"under the microscope, you can see how the individual cells have clustered to form a berry shape, held together with a gloopy transparent polymer coating. But there's a downside to all this close proximity..."

Pink berry bacteria with a dime in the center for scale

New MBL research 🧪 indicates how “pink berries” and other communal bacterial structures may protect against rampant spread of disease. The study also has implications for understanding the evolution of multicellularity!

www.mbl.edu/news/without...

A flyer listing all of the course names, dates, and application deadlines for the 2024 Advanced Research Training Courses at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. All information available at mbl.edu/courses

Here's the full list of 2024 course dates and deadlines!

Schedule Updates:
- No 2024 Biology of Aging course
- Symbiosis course dates finalized to July 19 - Aug. 21, 2024. Deadline: Feb. 1, 2024
- Molecular Mycology (MOMY) course dates CHANGED to July 17 - Aug. 12, 2024. Deadline: March 6, 2024

Transmitted-light photomicrographs of 1.6-billion-year-old microfossils of multicellular eukaryotes. Scale bar, 50µm. Adapted from https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adk3208

Origins of Multicellularity Revisited
by Roberto – In the early years of STC, Elio wrote two posts on multicellularity. Why? Because "we lovers of microbes delight in the complexity of multicellular bacteria such as the actinomycetes, the myxobacteria, ...
Read more > tinyurl.com/5n8s75ak
#MicroSky

Colonies of Streptomyces roseosporus cells produce droplets containing antibiotics. Source (image credit Scott Chimileski and Roberto Kolter)

Surrounded by Antibiotic Resistance
by Mechas  
Most of us have at some point used antibiotics. These "miracle drugs" stop infectious bacteria from growing out of control, essentially curing us from what could be fatal infections. But antibiotics are...
Read more → tinyurl.com/mr3p9r83
#MicroSky 🦠🧫

Spatiotemporal development of growth and death zones in expanding bacterial colonies driven by emergent nutrient dynamics www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08....