All Things Microbial

I thought this would be the perfect post to jumpstart my page again. What beautiful imagery to help us understand this truly interesting taxonomic group! Since I first learned about them years ago so much more is now known. Enjoy!

"Aliens? Vegetables? Nope, vegetable and animal bridge mushrooms. They're the myxomycetes, and they can move and hunt for prey or look for the best environment for them. They are born from spores, like mushrooms.
Myxomycetes move like huge amoebas, like pulsating masses; their movements seem to be dependent on microfibrils that remember the fibers of the muscles. These "blobs′′ crawl (at a speed of 1 cm per hour) phagocusing bacteria, algae, yeasts, protozoa and other organic material as they go; they digest them and expel the remains outside. Not randomly, mixomycetes proliferate where there are plenty of prey - on decomposing logs or on carpets of dead, wet leaves. And so they're often found in the woods, yellow, purple, blue, red, thanks to the pigments they contain."

Read More:https://diaryamazing.com/from-forest-floor-to-fungus-amongus-the-life-cycle-of-the-bridge-slime-mold/

I have not watched this yet, but will. I am a fan of fungi—-AND Bjork!

“Fungi. Web of Life” movie will be out January 2024 !
Narrated by Björk, it explores the ways that fungi have shaped life on earth for over a billion years.

“A long dormant dream of mine to narrate a nature documentary has come to fruition. And I am blessed it is not just any but featuring the magnificent Merlin Sheldrake, and about fungi. I hope you will enjoy this” - Björk

more on fungimovie.com

And insects need microbes. Terraforming will absolutely require healthy microbial populations to support any plant or animal life.

Mars Needs Insects If humans are ever going to live on the red planet, they’re going to have to bring bugs with them.

An early heroine of mine.

Symbiosis and the Unself: Evolutionary Biologist Lynn Margulis on How Interbeing Shapes Life on Earth “Living beings defy neat definition… We abide in a symbiotic world.”

Scientists are embracing the fact that they can carry hardy microbes into space with them. I am not so sure relying on controlling fungal growth is a great idea. The bigger issue is that we are incapable of sending a sterile vessel into space, so we will also carry things with us. And it makes it harder to know if samples brought back are truly novel and new.

Fungi creepily infiltrates space stations — but scientists aren't scared. They're excited 'We are never going to be able to get rid of fungi entirely as we venture into space, so we need to understand them.'

They will be collecting microbes!

Astronauts Prepare for Two October Spacewalks Spacewalk preparations topped the schedule for the Expedition 70 crew aboard the International Space Station on Friday.

Wonderful opportunity for young people to learn about ocean related careers, including Marine Microbiology or Environmental Microbiology or Microbial Ecology. Microbiology is an essential branch of science for working on climate change, marine health, conservation and so much more! Please share with all the students you know who want to me marine biologists.

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Becoming a Marine Biologist: What it takes, and where it can take you. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Ocean Encounters: Becoming a Marine Biologist: What it takes, and where it can take you As a child, who hasn’t dreamed of exploring the ocean to study the amazing animals that live there—but what does it take to become a marine biologist, and what would your ...

Fall is the best time to prepare your garden for next Spring..and a great time to contemplate the complexity and importance of soil microbes.

What Do Soil Microbes Do: Can Plants Benefit From Soil Microbes Learning more about the role of microbes in the soil is just one way to increase the overall health of the garden. But, can plants benefit from soil microbes? Learn more about soil microbes and nutrients in this article. Click here for more information.

This is a beautiful way to think about death. We are simply part of a magnificent cycle that connects us to all life past, present and future.

Your microbes live on after you die − a microbiologist explains how your necrobiome recycles your body to nourish new life With the help of the microbes that once played an essential role in keeping you alive, the building blocks of your body go on to become a part of other living things.

A Crashed Spacecraft Might Have Put Earth's Most Indestructible Organisms on the Moon The microscopic tardigrades were part of a lunar library sent aboard the Beresheet lander that crashed last April

Relatives of the 1st mitochondria may be living in geothermal hot springs today Scientists say they've identified a potential living relative of the ancient microbe that gave rise to the "powerhouse of the cell."

Ever consider trying to make fermented foods? Kimchi is a wonderful way to start learning about this transformative process, and end up with a truly delicious product: healthful and full of umami flavor.

How hardworking microbes ferment cabbage into kimchi An age-old technique transforms vegetables and spices into a popular condiment with a zesty, funky taste. The key? Nurturing the right community of microbes. Here's how the magic happens.

Coevolu6ion is fascinating. And by the way, those wasps are very likely to have unique co-evolved microbes and the bacteria likely to have phage that are specific to them also. It is truly mostly a microbial world.

Each species of fig has its own species of wasp. When you eat a dried fig, you’re probably chewing wasp mummies, too. Read about a superlative example of what biologists call codependent evolution: http://nyer.cm/0RMjxgU

Another discovery showing us how life can persist in places that seem impossible — like perhaps other planets?

Scientists pull living microbes, possibly 100 million years old, from beneath the sea Bacteria 75 meters below the sea floor began to divide after a light snack

This is quite astonishing. DNA sequencing and detection has come a long way, along with methods for studying microbial population biology and ecology.

Human Genome Recovered From 5,700-Year-Old Chewing Gum The piece of Birch tar, found in Denmark, also contained the mouth microbes of its ancient chewer, as well as remnants of food to reveal what she ate

Before I die, we earthlings will find definitive signs of life elsewhere in this vast universe. And, it will be microbial.

Ingredients for life discovered in Perseus molecular cloud in space 1,000 light-years from Earth The prebiotic molecules were found in the Perseus Molecular Cloud, a young cluster of stars and gas in deep space.

Amazing little microbes.

What makes tardigrades so tough? | Science News Tardigrades can withstand X-rays, freezing and vacuum. Now researchers are learning how they do it, with an eye toward human space travel.

A new method of DNA harvesting and analysis has allowed scientists to identify enough life forms in an ancient time period to reconstruct an ecosystem. With this rich database of DNA fragment I am certain they are also able to identify microbial at that time…2 million years ago.

Lost world in northern Greenland conjured from DNA in ancient soil Balmy ecosystem of mastodons and horseshoe crabs has no analog on modern Earth

Please don't forget to get your flu shot this year. Vaccines work and you need a new flu shot every year to keep up with changes in the virus. While you are at it please also get the BIVALENT Covid booster. This protects you from newer more dangerous Covid variants that are definitely still out there.

Do I Need To Get a Flu Shot This Year? Experts share why it’s so important to get a flu shot this year — and every year.

Greetings! Hi friends. As you may have noticed, I took a little respite from managing this page while we all went through the "Covid Years." I do appreciate all of you who are still followers and I hope to get more active now, and in the coming year. Let me start by sharing a passion of mine: The search for signs of life outside of Earth (often referred to as exe-biology). The Mars Rover Perseverance is still out there on its tireless journey to key spots on the red planet where we know there are signs of water, and all the building blocks for life. If you click on the links in the article they lead you to more fascinating facts about the search for signs of life and NASA's plans to send samples back to Earth for further study.

NASA's Perseverance Rover Investigates Intriguing Martian Bedrock – NASA Mars Exploration Exploring a sediment-rich location in this Mars delta offers tantalizing opportunities for the six-wheeler’s science team.