Microbes That Glow, Freeze, and Change How We Teach. @markowenmartin.bsky.social challenges traditional approaches like the “bug parade” and course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), arguing for unforgettable, curiosity-driven learning that blends creativity, rigor, and wonder
New in JB: Focant, De Bolle et al., using Tn-seq analysis of B. abortus, found that His and purine auxotrophs are more sensitive to Cu toxicity, but it is likely the requirement for His that is key for growth in macrophages.
@asm.org #JBacteriology
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Submit your research, methods, reviews and perspectives to the mSystems Sex-Specific Microbiome–Host Interactions collection. Deadline: March 24, 2027
📣Call for Papers: Sex-Specific Microbiome–Host Interactions📣 A new #mSystems collection explores how sexual dimorphism in microbiome–host interactions influences disease risk, resilience and therapeutic response.
🧬 Submit by March 24, 2027: asm.social/2Tn
Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) evolved microscopic “compasses” to align to and navigate via Earth’s magnetic field. Today, those same magnetic powers are inspiring new ways to target cancer, deliver drugs and design microrobots for precision medicine. Get the full story: asm.org/articles/202...
What do you do when your husband is dying & no antibiotic can save him?
Steffanie Strathdee, Ph.D. fought for phage therapy—and it worked.
Now she's bringing that story to #ASMicrobe 2026.
Register → asm.social/2T9
The CRISPR functional genomics toolkit for virology. CRISPR perturbation libraries (KO, CRISPRi, CRISPRa, and base/prime editing) are applied to diverse model systems, including cell lines/primary cells, organoids, and in vivo models, followed by viral challenge or other selective pressures. Phenotypes are quantified using sequencing-based guide enrichment, single-cell profiling, imaging, and multi-omics readouts to identify host factors and pathways that modulate infection and antiviral responses.
New in #JVirology! A summary of the conceptual and technical advances that connect CRISPR functional genomics to synthetic antiviral design, including emerging principles and constraints: asm.social/2T7
PIs/group leaders, what was the most important aspect of the first paper your lab published
1️⃣ Establishing the lab's identity
2️⃣ Communicating an important discovery
3️⃣ Completing a project started as a postdoc
4️⃣ Other
📊 Show results
McLaughlin, Fiebig, Crosson et al. discover/characterize two variants of Circe, a freshwater N4-like podophage that requires smooth LPS as a receptor.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology
Register today for ASM's free upcoming webinar, Crafting your Professional Story: build your brand with confidence. The webinar will be Tuesday, May 19 at 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. Eastern time. The audience is Graduate Student trainees
Graduate students, ready to tell your professional story?
Join ASM’s FREE webinar, "Crafting Your Professional Story: Build Your Brand with Confidence."
📅 May 19 | ⏰ 10–11 a.m. ET
💻 Virtual
Register here: asm.social/2T4
Grab Your Seat For JMBE LIVE “Leveraging Generative AI To Foster Metacognition And Self-directed Learning” Register Now
Last chance to register for the JMBE Live! webinar on using customized AI tools to support metacognition and self-directed learning in graduate education.
📅 April 10 | 1 p.m. ET
🔗 Register: asm.social/2SV
📝 Read the paper: asm.social/2SU
This World Health Day, explore ASM Journals' Science Transcends Borders collection.
🌍 Science transcends borders. This #WorldHealthDay, explore ASM Journals’ global research collection highlighting work by authors from around the world addressing health, climate, food and water challenges 🌱🔗 asm.social/2SS
Bring the worlds of science and society together through policy and advocacy with the Brad Fenwick Fellowship for the Advancement of Civic Science. Applications close May 3 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Learn more and apply now: asm.org/articles/pol...
Become an ASM Journals editor! Apply to join the mBio, Spectrum, mSphere or mSystems team by April 24.
📢 Grow your career with ASM Journals!
Apply to become an editor for mBio, mSphere, mSystems or Microbiology Spectrum—now through a single application where you can select your journal of interest.
🔗Apply by April 24: asm.social/2SN
The diverse molecular mechanisms of cellular motility. (A) The rotary T9SS and conveyor belt of Flavobacterium johnsoniae. (B) The focal adhesin complex of Myxococcus xanthus. (C) The leg-like attachment machinery of Mycoplasma mobile. Additional mechanistic models of motility for Mycoplasma genitalium (21) and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (22–26) are described in the text, with additional details available in the cited literature. (D) Multiple Type IV pili strategically arranged at both sides of the septal wall ensure smooth, coordinated gliding in filamentous cyanobacteria. The molecular organization depicted is based on well-characterized Type IV pilus systems of cyanobacteria. (E) The actin and myosin-based glidosome of the apicomplexan Toxoplasma gondii. (F) The proposed raphe and actinomyosin system of the diatom Craspedostauros australis. (OM, outer membrane; IM, inner membrane; PG, peptidoglycan; IMC, inner membrane complex; pPM, parasite plasma membrane; hPM, host plasma membrane).
#MicrobiologyMonday: Gliding motility allows cells to move smoothly along surfaces without flagella. Although this strategy has evolved independently across many microbial lineages, common mechanical principles emerge. Learn more in #JBacteriology: asm.social/2SJ
ASM urges Congress to reject proposed cuts to science, research and public health in the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget request and instead build on the investments made in FY2026. Read our statement: asm.org/Articles/Pol...
Workflow of single-molecule fluorescence imaging and tracking in live bacteria.
Live-cell study at the molecular level is essential for understanding the complexities of bacterial systems and protein functions in vivo. Explore recent progress on imaging probes and modalities in #MMBRJournal:
🧪 Urine cultures can present diagnostic challenges.
Join us May 7, 12 p.m. ET for the free ASM Press-Wiley CMPH—Back to Basics webinar, “Urine Cultures,” featuring Blake W. Buchan. Learn best practices for workup & reporting.
🔗 Register now: asm.social/2Ss
What I wish I knew then...After 35 years at UNC Health, Peter Gilligan, Ph.D., D(ABMM), reflects on the lessons beyond formal training that defined his approach to lab leadership. Read the article: asm.org/articles/202...
Great news from @asm.org – all 6 of their #subscribetoopen journals will publish #openaccess in 2026 thanks to a second successful subscription round. Congratulations! 🥳
Read more here: asm.org/press-releas...
#S2O #OA
“ASM Awards and Prize” text surrounded by olive wreath graphic.
The 2027 ASM Awards & Prize nominations are now open! Make a difference in the career of an outstanding microbiologist by nominating them. There's an Award and Prize to honor scientists at every career level and in every field of the microbial sciences: asm.social/2Sg
A circle of people putting their hands together
Graduate students, this one’s for YOU!
Join ASM’s FREE webinar, "Your Graduate Committee: From Requirements to Resource."
📅 April 21 | ⏰ 11 a.m.–12 p.m. ET
💻 Virtual
Register here: asm.social/2Se
More patients will face bacterial infections that no antibiotic can treat, and the pipeline for new drugs cannot keep up. One of the most promising options for treating resistant infections already exists in nature: bacteriophages, the viruses that infect and kill bacteria.
Tackling antimicrobial resistance requires treating coordinated phage therapy as a strategic priority. Read the new op-ed from ASM Health Director Dev Mittar: asm.social/2Sc
New in JB: Guo, Zhang et al. review recent advances in synthetic biology that allow for the use of methylotrophic bacteria as "cell factories" as a path to sustainable biomanufacturing.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology
Apply to be an editor at an ASM Journal! Open call for editors at mBio, mSphere, mSystems, and Microbiology Spectrum. This is a very fulfilling way to share your expertise and give back to our society journals. @asm.org journals.asm.org/asm-call-for...
Meet the Microbiologist: Moon Nahm, M.D.. Moon discusses his career in pneumococcal immunology—from hidden serotypes to MOPA—advancing functional antibody testing and enabling more protective, accessible vaccines. asm.org/podcasts/mtm...
Moore, Gitai and colleagues report "CauloKO:an ordered transposon mutant library in Caulobacter crescentus", and use my favorite assay - a crystal violet screen for biofilm mutants, validating the libray and identifying new mutants.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org #JBacteriology
Key limitations of GM modulation in influencing lung diseases.
#MicrobiologyMonday: By shaping immune responses and producing metabolites, the gut‑lung axis offers possibilities for microbiome‑based therapies for respiratory diseases—though more research is needed to turn promise into practice. #IAIJournal: asm.social/2RZ
Mechanism of action of different classes of antifungals. AmB is Amphotericin B; cAmB is the encochleated form of Amphotericin B; L-AmB is liposomal Amphotericin B. Created in BioRender. Giuliano, S. (2025)
Liposomal amphotericin B (L-AmB) is a broad-spectrum antifungal agent with a more favorable safety profile than conventional amphotericins. What are the clinical situations in which it might be most useful? This #ClinMicroRev article offers insights: asm.social/2RV
Join us on April 14 at 2 p.m. ET for the next CPHM Virtual Journal Club! This session will discuss 2 #JClinMicro articles about artificial intelligence applications in clinical microbiology.
ASM members register for free at asm.social/2RL
#ASMClinMicro
Stefano Bertuzzi
ASM is excited to announce that CEO Stefano Bertuzzi has been elected a Fellow of @aaas.org! The honor recognizes Bertuzzi’s contributions to science, public policy and scientific leadership & reflects the growing impact of ASM’s strategic roadmap. asm.social/2RH
