Molecularist

The odd thing is that I too had my smack-pack liquid yeast not really take in my boho pils. Panicked that it'd get contaminated I pitched in some yeast from a bottle of an Oktoberfest ale I had around (didn't have time to get to the brew shop). It's bubbling away now, but I sure hope it's not contaminated (it would be my first). I'll know in a few days when I move it to the secondary. And I think this was the first time I've ever used liquid – I always prefer dry, but they didn't have any.

"The images taken with the scanning electron microscope of sauerkraut, kombucha, and some stinky cheeses show beautiful and complex landscapes made by and of microbes."

Really cool EM images of food bugs.

Searching for practical microbes in the Amazon forest for the production of cellulosic ethanol. (In Portuguese). Brazil is a major producer of ethanol from sugar cane. Now they want to see if they can branch out to other sources of carbohydrates for ethanol production.

Excellent overview of all the ways we use microbes (useful bugs!) in the production of food. I learned that cacao is fermented and a new term SCOBY, "symbiotic colonies of bacteria and yeast". A bit cooler than "cooperatives" (my use) or "consortia" (science term).

Animated MRIs of foods. Pretty cool.

A personalized computerized fitness center, with visual guidance, and a hat tip towards quantified self nuts. Haven't found out if anything can be downloaded or what online tools they have to visualize.

"The researchers found 14 that did the trick, but one molecule—named RNPA1000—was especially effective against S. aureus. RNPA1000 killed cells from all 12 major strains of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA)."

Biochemistry and molecular biology informing anti-bacterial targets. Quite cool.

"A natural biorefinery in itself, the Q microbe, Clostridium phytofermentans, is an anaerobic organism with a unique combination of natural characteristics that dramatically streamline the production of cellulosic ethanol."

Though not sure if this is a recombinant organism – no reference to it, but choice use of the word "natural".

Another one.

Cool. I'm starting to find these databases of enzymatic pathways – pick a molecule, find a pathway. Yet, all of these could use a better UI. Networks of stuff always seem better in multi-dimensional graphical interfaces you can manipulate. Just saying.

"Speaking of their discovery, Derek Lovely said, “We placed the microbes under conditions in which they had to work together in order to survive and grow using the alcohol we gave them as an energy source. They’re the ultimate drinking buddies, collaborating to consume ethanol.”"

Finding the mechanism through clever sleuthing.

How do you isolate new cellulolytic genes from microbes in a cow rumen? Easy, poke a hole in the side of the cow (a fistula), throw in some bags of grass, pull out grass later and isolate bugs breaking down the grass. A great example of old-time microbiology and new-fangled metagenomic.

Educators, hobbyists, entrepreneurs, investigators – which are you? [Meant to bookmark this long ago.]

The world is spiky. And science is a northern endeavor.

"A row has broken out in France over whether 15- and 16-year-olds should be allowed to create transgenic Escherichia coli bacteria in the classroom."