A microbiology of the built environment April Fools’ joke

Well I am sad I missed this yesterday but there was an April Fools’ joke published in the Western University Gazette that had a microbiology of the built environment angle. “We’re holding Ivey business classes in there to decontaminate the premises,” Chakma said. Source: English Department relocated to broom closets | Spoof | westerngazette.ca “There …

Use of Copper in Structures and the Growing Resistant Bacteria

Interesting article addressing the risks of using copper in human structures for its antimicrobial qualities.  Copper resistant bacteria could prove to be a risk for human health, as certain parts of the human immune system (notably macrophages) utilize it to dispatch potentially dangerous microbes.  While many places use copper as a safety measure against harmful …

Cutting Board Companions

The authors of this new paper have really cooked up something interesting!  “Microbial Safety of Wood in Contact with Food: A Review” by Florence Aviat, et al and published in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety is an 86-reference review on materials found in kitchens. Elisabeth Bik did list this in her March 7 blog of new papers, but this one …

A must read on indoor microbiology: Sources of airborne microorganisms in the built environment 

2013-5-19MBPF Source: Sources of airborne microorganisms in the built environment | Microbiome | Full Text Really nice new review paper by Aaron Prissin and Linsey Marr. It covers research on sources of airborne microbes including Humans Pets Plants Plumbing HVACs Water damage Dust Outdoor air Really thorough with tons of references and discussion of the …

Sloan Microbiology of the Built Environment Data Analysis Workshop (secrets of QIIME, VAMPS and QIITA)

Submitted to me by Rob Knight. Announcement: Sloan Microbiology of the Built Environment Data Analysis Workshop (secrets of QIIME, VAMPS and QIITA) April 4-5, 2016 University of California, San Diego Application Deadline — February 15, 2016 — mitchellsogin@gmail.com This workshop, staffed by the developers of QIIME, VAMPS and QIITA, invite participants from the Microbiology of …

Emily Anthes writes about Wildlife of Your Homes microbiome studies in the New Yorker 

“Every unswept corner of a home tells its own story”. By Bouyoun Kim from the New Yorker Website. Source: What the Dust in Your House Says About You – The New Yorker Nice article in the New Yorker by Emily Anthes about the Home Microbiome studies from the Wildlife of Your Homes project. It has some …

Nominations sought for NAS Committee on Microbiomes of the Built Environment

Just got sent this by Katherine Bowman from the Board on Life Sciences.  This is really important and if you know of someone who would be good please consider nominating them.     Request for Committee Nominations — Microbiomes of the Built Environment: From Research to Application The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are …

Special Seminar at #UCDavis: Dr. Norman Pace on Metagenomics and the Tree of Life

Special Seminar Dr. Norman Pace Distinguished Professor Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology University of Colorado, Boulder Metagenomics and the Tree of Life Tuesday, October 6th, 2015 1.30 pm Genome and Biomedical Science Facility (GBSF) 1005 Host: Jonathan Eisen (jaeisen@ucdavis.edu) For more about Pace’s work see http://pacelab.colorado.edu

Invasion of the Built Environment by a Microbiologist

So – I thought some people here would be interested in this.  As someone who has been involved in the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s program in “Microbiology of the Built Environment” for many years, I have been trying to get more involved with the built environment crowd.  And I have not always been exceptionally successful …

Empiricist League #16 meeting at Union Hall on The Hidden DNA of NYC

OK this looks like it will be really really interesting.  Laurie Garrett sent me a link to this announcment about a meeting of the Empiricist League in New York: What are the 15,000 microscopic lifeforms that live on the subway? How disgusting are the contaminants in the Gowanus Canal? Can we use technology to stop …