microbeworld

From the flu to HIV, RNA viruses challenge our immune systems like no other infectious agent on the planet. RNA viruses provide unique insights into the patterns and processes of evolutionary change in real time. The study of viral evolution is especially topical given the growing awareness that emerging and re-emerging diseases (most of which are caused by RNA viruses) represent a major threat to public health. How do RNA viruses adapt and change, and how do our bodies respond? Why are...

Mobile health or mHealth is part of a movement towards citizen-centered health services delivered through cellular technologies. Mobile phones in particular are becoming a first line of defense against emerging infectious diseases by keeping healthcare practitioners and the public informed about outbreaks. For individuals mHealth technologies can provide real-time monitoring of vital signs and even deliver treatment services in the form of risk assessments, medication regimens and doctor...

Bacteria communicate with chemical languages that allow them to synchronize their behavior and thereby act as multi-cellular organisms. This process, called quorum sensing, enables bacteria to do things they can’t do as a single cell, like successfully infect and cause disease in humans. Bonnie Bassler, Ph.D., the Squibb Professor of Molecular Biology at Princeton University and President-elect for the American Society for Microbiology, has been researching strategies that can interfere...

Parents are often presented with conflicting messages about germs and cleanliness. On the one hand, the news headlines warn us about dangerous "superbugs." On the other hand, there is growing concern that over-cleaning and excessive hygiene may weaken children's immune systems. Fortunately, there is real, vetted science available to help us understand how to best protect, without overprotecting, our kids. In episode 26 of MicrobeWorld Video, we talk with Dr. Harley Rotbart, author of Germ...

On Jan. 6, 2009, in Arlington, Virginia, the National Science Foundation, The Ballston Science and Technology Alliance, and BioInformatics, LLC, hosted a Cafe Scientifique on Science and Social Media. In the final segment of this 4 part video, Nancy Shute, Senior Writer for science and medicine at US News & World Report, talks about how she is encouraging science writers to use Twitter and other social networking tools to report science. As a journalist, Nancy plays an important role in...

On Jan. 6, 2009, in Arlington, Virginia, the National Science Foundation, The Ballston Science and Technology Alliance, and BioInformatics, LLC, hosted a Cafe Scientifique on Science and Social Media. In part 3 of this 4 part video, Stephanie Stockman, a geologist, science educator and NASA contractor at Goddard Space Flight Center, discusses why she develops and implements education and outreach programs for NASA’s Earth and Space science missions using new media. She is an avid blogger...

On Jan. 6, 2009, in Arlington, Virginia, the National Science Foundation, The Ballston Science and Technology Alliance, and BioInformatics, LLC, hosted a Cafe Scientifique on Science and Social Media. In part 1 of this 4 part video, Dr. Tamara Zemlo from BioInformatics, LLC presents an overview of why scientists need to communicate with each other, the traditional media used, and how new media is changing how science is communicated among professionals. Please visit www.microbeworld.org for...

What kinds of bacteria are growing in your sink or your refrigerator? How about on your keyboard at work? Does soap really reduce the amount of bacteria on your hands? Dr. Keith Lampel of the Food and Drug Administration helps citizen scientists discover the world of bacteria in and around us. Filmed at the Marian Koshland Science Museum in Washington, D.C., this two-part science lab kicked off with a hands-on activity in the museum to observe the invisible bacteria that are present...

In this episode of MicrobeWorld Video we visit the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., for the opening of "An Iconography of Contagion," an art exhibition featuring more than 20 public health posters from the 1920s to the 1990s. Covering infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, AIDS, gonorrhea, and syphilis, the posters come from North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. This video features interviews with J.D. Talasek, Director of Cultural Programs of the National...

In the final episode of this 3 part video series on how to optimize antibiotic use and minimize the emergence of drug resistant pathogens, Dr. Linda Tollefson, Assistant Commissioner for Science at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, goes in depth on the use of antimicrobial drugs in agriculture, their efficacy, and adverse human health consequences. Dr. Stuart Levy, professor of Molecular Biology and Microbiology at Tufts University School of Medicine, discusses policy, regulatory and...