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 On episode #7 of the podcast This Week in Microbiology, Vincent, Cliff, Elio, Margaret, and Michael discuss programmed cell death in E. coli, and the daily synthesis and degradation of enzymes needed for photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation by cyanobacteria.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Margaret McFall-Ngai, Cliff Mintz, Elio Schaecter, and Michael Schmidt.

Right click to download TWiM #7 (44.5 MB, .mp3, 64 minutes).

Subscribe to TWiM (free) on iTunes, Zune Marketplace, via RSS feed, by email or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Links for this episode:

• E. coli extracelluar death factor EDF
• mRNA cleavage by MazF toxin
• Myxococcus programmed cell death
• Using toxins in antimicrobial bacteriophage
• Death as an option (Small Things Considered)
• Cycling of metalloenzyme inventories in Crocosphaera watsonii (PNAS)
• Growing a green future (Small Things Considered)
• Letters read on TWiM #7

Image of Cyanobacteria in Lake Littoistenjärvi by Stefe via flickr

Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twim@twiv.tv , or call them in to 908-312-0760. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twim.

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On episode #4 of the podcast This Week in Microbiology, Vincent, Cliff, Margaret, and Michael review foodborne bacterial illness in the context of outbreaks associated with cantaloupes and Lebanon bologna.

Right click to download TWiM #4 (51 MB .mp3, 75 minutes).

Links for this episode:

• CDC statement on Salmonella outbreak
• CDC statement on E. coli outbreak
• CIDRAP summaries of cantaloupe and bologna associated outbreaks
• ProMedMail summary of Salmonella outbreak
• Summary of food related illness in US (pdf)
• Food safety and irradiation (CDC)
• Geosmin (thanks, Atila!)
• Letters read on TWiM #4

Subscribe to TWiM (free) on iTunes,  Zune Marketplace, via RSS feed, by email or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

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According to a blurb in  today's NY Times, a recent Nielsen survey found that over the past year online video gained fewer viewers. More specifically, survey results showed that the number of people who watched online videos increased only 3.1 percent from Jan. 31, 2010 to Jan. 31, 2011. While the number of viewers showed only a slight increase, the amount of time individuals spent viewing video increased almost 45 percent to 4 hours 39 minutes during the same period.

The increase in online video viewing time was attributed to the growing popularity of websites like Netflix and Hulu that offer viewers access to long-form video streaming. This shift may signal the beginning of the end of the popularity of short-form videos offered by sites like YouTube. To that end, in recent months, YouTube (owned by Google) has signaled its intent to focus more on long-form video content.

Although there may be a shift taking place in online video viewing behavior, I think that rumors about the death of online video viewing have been greatly exaggerated. In my opinion, video is here to stay but it may no longer represent a “stand alone” web destination. In the future, video and other rich media assets will likely be bundled with text and other written content as part of the online viewed experience. A good example of this is being pioneered by companies like Atavist—a publisher of long-form journalism and fiction.

Interestingly, the popularity of short form videos is just beginning to take off in the life sciences and related industries. As usual, it appears that lay consumers are way ahead of the scientific community when it comes to cultural trends....go figure!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Viewing!!!!!!!

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This Week in Microbiology (TMiV)—created by BioCrowd founder Vincent Racaniello and sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM)—launched today, with episode #1 posted at microbeworld.org/twim. It will soon be available on iTunes and the Zune marketplace.

The first episode focused on the antibacterial properties of metallic cooper and the discovery that Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the causative agent of gonorrhea, had somehow acquired human DNA sequences. Stan Maloy, a past President of ASM, and Michael Schmidt joined Vincent (host) and me (co-host) for the inaugural podcast.  

Future TWiM topics include the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria, bacterial food poisoning, adaptation of microbial life in extreme environments and the use of bacteria in green energy production.

The goal of TWiM is to improve the public understanding of microbiology and related topics. To that end, we encourage listeners to contact us with comments, kvetches, suggestions and ideas for future podcasts.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Listening!!!!!!

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Virologist and BioCrowd co-founder Vincent Racaniello, PhD recently gave a talk at the Spring 2010 meeting of the Society for General Microbiology in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The talk, entitled ‘Social Media in Microbiology Education and Research’ reviewed how Professor Racaniello uses blogging, podcasting, and other social media tools to teach the public about viruses.

To learn more about Vincent and how he uses social media to increase the publics’ awareness about viruses and other infectious agents, please visit the BioCrowd website.

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!

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Have you ever received a call from a “head hunter” who suggests that they might be able to assist you in your job search? Can professional recruiters actually help you find a job? Finally, have you ever wondered what’s in it for the recruiter if they don’t charge jobseekers a fee to help them with their job searches?

If you are curious about these and other questions, please listen to a podcast  of BioCrowd founder Cliff Mintz's interview with Romi Kher, the host of Cornell University’s 10GoodMinutes ,a talk show that provides career advice for young professionals.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!

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Lisa Roner, blogger and editor for EyeforPharma, recommends a podcast on social media that was created by Dr. Andree Bates, CEO at Eularis, a company that applies analytics to determine the sales impact of specific marketing programs.

Dr. Bates says it is an important area for pharmas to become engaged in social media.  In the podcast, she offers some ideas about how pharma marketers might apply these channels effectively. Also, she offers some tips and hints for intrepid pharma employees who are interested in getting started.

To listen to the podcast click here.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Networking!!!!!!!!

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By now everybody has heard that there is a Swine Flu epidemic that started in Mexico and may morph into a worldwide pandemic.  The media's coverage has been mind numbing and overwhelming.  For those of you who want the real skinny on the outbreak, I recommend that you read a post on the Virology Blog run by BioCrowd founder and virologist Vincent Racaniello.

Vincent did his PhD work on flu in Peter Palese's lab, one of the world's leading influenza experts.  In addition to his blog post, Vincent along with Dick Despommier and Alan Dove created a also created a podcast on swine flu last Friday as the epidemic began to unfold. Check it and other virology podcasts out on This Week in Virology (TWiV).

Until next time....

Good Luck and Good Reading/Listening

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As many of you know, the life sciences industry, one of the most highly regulated industries of the economy has been hesitant and reluctant to embrace social media to reach out to patients, physicians and the lay public. This is because the US Food and Drug Administration, specifically Division for Drug Marketing, Advertising and Communications (DDMAC), has been mute on the subject and hasn’t issue one iota of guidance on the use of social media in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology or medical devices/diagnostic industries.

Mark Senak, a regulatory affairs lawyer and owner of the blog eyeonfda.com, invited Dr. Jean Ah Kang, Special Assistant at DDMAC in charge of Web 2.0 policy development to talk about FDA’s views and ideas about social media and its use in the life sciences industry. Listening to the 15 min podcast would be, according to Mark, “time well spent” for social media advocates in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical devices/diagnostics sectors.

Hat tip and much “love” to Mark who wrote “BTW, I absolutely expect waves of love for this (the podcast)."

Until next time....

Good Luck and Good Listening!!!!!!!!!! 

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We recently added a feature to BioCrowd called BioCrunch. Our goal for BioCrunch is to provide Bcrowd members with relevant, interesting and “fresh” content. Vincent and I are big fans of podcasts and PowerPoint presentations! That said, please contact me  if you are interested in contributing content for BioCrowd’s BioCrunch feature.

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Surfing!!!!

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For those of you virology junkies out there, This Week in Virology (TWiV) has just released a podcast on the top 10 virology stories of 2008. BioCrowd founder, Vincent Racaniello and Alan Dove, a professional science writer (and one of Vincent's former students), discuss their top picks for 2008 and make some predictions for 2009.

For those of you with no plans for this evening’s festivities, open a bottle of champagne, kick back and have a listen—it's good stuff!

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!

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This post was originally written by Vincent Racaniello, a long time friend and colleague, who runs the Virology Blog. 

Here is what Vincent had to say:

My colleagues (generally the older ones) often ask me why I blog or podcast. They believe that I am wasting my time. After all, I am a scientist, and it is my job to carry out research. In order to do this I must publish papers and obtain grants. The grant funds are used to pay salaries (mine and those in my laboratory) and purchase the supplies needed for research. In my institution, nothing matters except raising money for research. Teaching, mentoring, and other community services mean very little. Blogging and podcasting do nothing to help fund my laboratory.

Here are my answers. Why did I go into science? Because my parents (physician and teacher) and my teachers inspired me. But for many other children, the only inspiration they have is their teachers. They need input from other sources. I believe I can help provide that input over the internet.

Most people - kids, teens, adults - don’t understand science. Their teachers can provide only a very rudimentary, often flawed view of some of the fundamental concepts. While I cannot cover all of science, I can do a good job of teaching what I know. I have been studying and thinking about viruses for over 30 years, so I understand them quite well. I am also able to talk and write about them clearly and concisely, a gift I probably received in part from my teacher parent. These qualities put me in a unique position to educate the public about viruses. 

Early in my career, I didn’t think much about teaching. I focused on research. Later I realized I had a reasonable ability to communicate what I knew, which turned into a love of teaching. My blogging and podcasting about viruses represent part of the effort to impart some of my knowledge to the public. 

As I have read and heard many times on the web, if you want to blog or podcast, do it about something you are passionate about. And that is what I am doing.

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