This Week in Microbiology
Microbiologists dissect new papers: gut genome mosaicism, nitrogen-fixing organelles, microbiome and colon cancer recurrence
Deep reads here2 / 366 episodes
Cadence~1 every 14.3 days
Latest2026-10-10
TopicsScience & Medicine
PriorityT3
58:04This Week in Microbiology
0912
Bunsen Burners Don't Reduce Plate Contamination, and Vegetables Protect the Heart by Another Mechanism
A Bunsen burner may actually increase settle colonies in low-contamination environments; the cardiovascular benefit of vegetables may not run through the nitrate-nitrite-NO pathway but through gut bacteria turning nitrate and iron into DNIC that directly activates sGC.
8 Points
6 Quotes
MicrobiologyAseptic technique
53:14This Week in Microbiology
0814
Antibiotic Bowel Prep Before Colon Cancer Surgery May Be Selecting for the Bacteria That Cause Recurrence
Antibiotic bowel prep before colon cancer surgery is meant to prevent infection; but in patients whose cancer recurs, the resistant bacteria in their gut are unfazed, and on the day of surgery their total bacterial load is 23 times higher than in non-recurring patients. The prep may be precisely what selects for future recurrence.
6 Points
6 Quotes
colorectal cancergut microbiome