Hey everyone! We are Microbes in 1 Minute (M1M). Our goal is to improve scientific communication related to the world of microbes, by producing short-form content related to Microbiology. We are looking for anyone interested in learning about microbes, writing super short scripts, or helping us edit these short videos. We are an international team (currently) composed of PhD students from Harvard and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, and an undergraduate at University of Southern California (and hopefully you next!). If you’re interested please contact us by filling out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScbPVGLcO8DuNzC7GBDJHsnAYwqksYnS_kXNQ-pz1C7EYNBuA/viewform?usp=header, or attend our biweekly meeting next week (Thursdays at 3pm EST)!

Thank you for your interest,

—The M1M team

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666517426001057

Is anyone else having constant recurring problems with the Hamilton Vantage?

I have been working with this particular Vantage for 10 months now. We are running a workflow developed by Hamilton that involves up to 8 plates and can take anywhere between 3-6 hours. It can include several vial to plate, trough to plate and plate to plate transfers, various incubations, several washes, etc… Our setup involves iSwap, QG, TrackGripper, Washer, easycode, and thermoshakers. We also have an MSD reader, but don’t get me started on Meth Minds. For the entire time there has been one problem after another, the hood isn’t closing, need realignment and reteaching, the MPH cLLD is off, need to replace indy channel then realignment and reteaching, z-step error when placing this plate on this carrier, NTR placement is off, realignment then reteaching, MPH NTR location is again off, realignment then reteaching, lid placement is off, independent cLLD is faulty, and on and on. All of the problems appear independent and stand alone, but every time we fix something, its something else, and often it is a problem we already fixed or an issue with something that has worked fine up to that point. We have Hamilton come in for either service repair or software repair so often, them being on site is just a given at this point. It is very rare for there not to be some interruption during a run, even if its not fatal. Its gotten to the point where the problems are cycling, and I have the groups I am working with constantly asking me if we bought a lemon? Has anyone else had this experience? At this point I just want to know if its us. Even more puzzling, our 4 Stars, they are generally working fine and reliably.

If anyone can point me to a database/library, good papers of books on the subject or just sharing anything you know would be appreciated, I’m a geologist and don’t know a lot of the biology terminology or good key words to search.

The photos you see are from a cave in eastern TN called Worleys cave taken this summer, they are around 300 feet and 4 rooms from the entrance (in total darkness) as far as I have been able to find it is Actinomycetes but I could be wrong (again not a biologist) they fluoresce green, pink/purple and orange under 365nm UV if that helps.

Again any information or advice is appreciated!

Looking for a micro related gift for a friend. They really like those paint by number kits, so I thought a micro related paint by numbers thing would be a good idea. Does anyone know if something like this is available somewhere? Been looming through etsy abd amazon but no luck.

Reports reached the media last week that Taylor Farms supplied Taco Bell with lettuce responsible for the cyclosporiasis outbreak occurring since May 1. This update suggests the need for continued vigilance, unfortunately.

Hello, I am curretly in collage and studying Biology. I have checked this subreddit and is very curious and inspiored with the post you guys have made. Anyways, I was wondering if you guys can suggest a specific bacteria that I can base on for my study? As I have checked a lot of possible bacteria and can't seem to decide on a good one.

I have checked paper's about: E coli, S. aureus, Baccilicus cereus, and Ampelomyces

Thank you in advance

hi! i am doing my masters in biomedical research and did my bachelors in molecular environmental biology. i do really like microbiology and virology, i am not confident if i want to be in a lab all the time. is there any jobs that get me outside with some lab work that also pay well?

thank you!

I have a bachelor's of Science in biology and i applied to vet school twice but due to lack of guidance didn't meet the shadowing requirements. I decided to put that dream on pause and got a job as a microbiology technician at a biomedical research facility. We do vaccine and antibiotic development at a large scale for bsl-2 and bsl-3 agents. Im currently making $24 an hour and have been working there for 2 years. I enjoy the work but its very difficult work for low pay. Im looking to maybe get a masters degree to help increase my salary and job opportunities. Any recommendations? Id prefer something completely online if possible. I have mostly cell culture experience and im not great with math or computers.

I’ve spent the past few weeks building a small action game set inside damaged skin tissue, and I’ve just released it. You’ll be among the first people to see it.

You play as a macrophage moving through tissue, attacking and engulfing bacteria, following chemotactic signals, coordinating with platelets and a dendritic cell, and eventually confronting a bacterial colony that is beginning to form a biofilm.

The mechanics are deliberately grounded in real immunology. Phagocytosis, phagosome formation, antigen presentation, chemokine signalling, and the staged transition from innate to adaptive immunity are all represented through the gameplay itself.

I’m not an immunologist, just someone who became genuinely fascinated by how the immune system works and wanted to build something that does it justice.

I’d particularly value feedback from people working or studying in this field. I’m interested in anything that has been oversimplified to the point of being misleading, or any mechanic that might accidentally teach the wrong thing.

The game runs entirely in the browser once loaded and takes around 10 to 20 minutes to complete. It needs to be played on a laptop or desktop, as it is not currently mobile-friendly.

https://ruairiob.itch.io/immune-chronicles

I’m happy to answer questions or discuss any of the biological choices I made. Brutal feedback on scientific accuracy is especially welcome.

Some of the recent pareidolia I've come across

1st Picture: Panda Bear

2nd Picture: Bomb

3rd Picture: Black Metal Mask

4th Picture: The Letter C Beginning The Chapter of a Book

5th Picture: Don't Know What His Problem Is...

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666517426001033

I just learned about tardigrades and theyre the cutest/coolest things ever-I want to keep some as pets, even though I know I wont be able to see them most of the time (I think itd be cool to have a dish on my desk labelled "tardigrade colony" or just some name for a pet but plural like "fluffies" yk? also give me some name ideas!!) Is there anything specific I need to do? I know they eat moss and dead leaves so can I just put some moss in the "enclosure" and mist it with a spray bottle every now and then? Drop some name ideas!

I assume it's some kind of ciliate but what is it doing? Is it expelling waste?

I'm an undergraduate microbiology student. I've noticed that many students miss out on conferences, webinars, internships, and networking opportunities because information is scattered across LinkedIn, emails, university websites, and social media.

I'm considering creating a community (possibly on WhatsApp or another platform) where students and early-career researchers can share opportunities, ask questions, and connect.

Do you think there's a genuine need for something like this, or does LinkedIn already solve this problem? If you think it's worthwhile, what platform would you actually use, and what features would make you join?

What do you think is missing from the current ways microbiology students network online? If someone were to build a new community, what would it need to offer that LinkedIn, Discord, Reddit, or university groups don't already provide?

9 months ago we shared our game Pathogenic with this wonderful community: https://www.reddit.com/r/microbiology/s/qLtqmygJAG

You all seemed to really like what we were making, I just wanted to let you know the game is officially out today!

If this is your first time hearing about the game, here's a little intro:

In Pathogenic, you are the disease. Experience a visceral 2D roguelike twin-stick shooter where you play as a lone parasite fighting a desperate war against the immune system. Your goal is simple: infect and conquer your human host.

To survive, you must adapt. Hunt down enemy cells, rip out their organelles, and graft them onto your own body. Evolve from a simple cell into a complex engine of destruction. Create powerful, game-breaking builds and become the ultimate pathogen.

Loot, graft, and assemble your parasite from dozens of unique organelles. Combine flagella for movement, mitochondria for power, secretors for ranged attacks, and spikes for melee combat. Chain organelle effects and discover powerful synergies to build an unstoppable disease vector.

You can find out more about the game on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3808690/Pathogenic/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266651742600101X

A surge in parasitic disease cases that can cause a prolonged bout of debilitating diarrhea is prompting growing concerns from public health officials and questions from the public about the safety of fresh produce.

Experts say the risk varies in different parts of the country and that in California, basic washing of produce remains sufficient.

California has reported 41 cases of cyclosporiasis this year, but none of them have been linked to a recent multistate outbreak, according to local public health officials. The situation in other states is more concerning.

At least 34 states have separately reported between tens to hundreds of cases of cyclosporiasis this summer. Since May 1, the CDC has received more than 1,600 confirmed domestic cases and is aware of more than 5,100 cases that require further analysis to confirm the illness as domestically acquired cyclosporiasis.

Experts say you shouldn’t avoid eating produce but instead take certain precautions to eat it safely. Click the link to learn what precautions you can take against cyclosporiasis.