442 - Fossil Phototroph Phagocytosis

Fossilized coccolithophores
By Gibbs et al. 2020
Sci Adv 6:eabc9123
CC BY-NC 4.0

This episode: Algae surviving impact that killed the dinosaurs seem to have consumed other organisms to make it through the dark times!

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Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Chaetoceros tenuissimus RNA virus 01

News item

Takeaways

Being able to look through time and learn about what might have happened to creatures throughout Earth's history is what makes paleontology great. Everyone knows about dinosaurs and what happened to them at the end of the Cretaceous period thanks to science. But what we can learn is not limited just to large organisms; there are ways to learn about microorganisms of the past as well, including by looking at fossils!

In this study, fossils of hard-shelled algae from around the end of the dinosaurs show that many of these microbes in the oceans went extinct at the same time due to the massive space impact. Debris blocked out sunlight for years, making it difficult for photosynthetic organisms to survive. So some of these algae appear to have survived by preying on smaller organisms, pulling them in through a hole in their shell.

Journal Paper:
Gibbs SJ, Bown PR, Ward BA, Alvarez SA, Kim H, Archontikis OA, Sauterey B, Poulton AJ, Wilson J, Ridgwell A. 2020. Algal plankton turn to hunting to survive and recover from end-Cretaceous impact darkness. Sci Adv 6:eabc9123.
Other interesting stories:

• Phages could help treat diabetic wound infections without harming microbiota (paper)

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BacterioFiles 416 - Oxygen Or Other Oxidizes Iron?

Chlorobium phaeoferrooxidans

By Thompson et al, 2019.
Sci Adv 5:eaav2869.
CC BY-NC 4.0

This episode: Earth's iron deposits could have been created by anaerobic light-harvesting microbes instead of those that make oxygen!

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Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Streptomyces avidinii

News item

Takeaways
In the ancient earth, the sun was dimmer, the world was colder, and oxygen was rare because photosynthesis had not yet evolved. Without oxygen to oxidize it, iron remained in its soluble, more accessible form, and many organisms took advantage of it for anaerobic metabolism.

But was it photosynthesis and the oxygen it created that transformed most of the planet's iron into its insoluble form, creating large iron deposits in the ground? This study explores the possibility that it was another form of light-harvesting metabolism, called photoferrotrophy, that uses light and the transformation of iron to generate energy. This hypothesis is found to be consistent with the evidence we have about what the early earth was like.

Journal Paper:
Thompson KJ, Kenward PA, Bauer KW, Warchola T, Gauger T, Martinez R, Simister RL, Michiels CC, Llirós M, Reinhard CT, Kappler A, Konhauser KO, Crowe SA. 2019. Photoferrotrophy, deposition of banded iron formations, and methane production in Archean oceans. Sci Adv 5:eaav2869.

Other interesting stories:

• Gut microbes help whales digest tricky fats in their diet
• Bacteria deliver antibiotic to competitors using capsules made of its own membrane (paper)

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BacterioFiles 236 - Film Formation Favors Fossilization

Brine shrimp
Credit: Xavier on Flicker

This episode: Gut microbes' activity in decaying brine shrimp help promote fossilization of their soft parts!


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Show notes:
Paywalled news item/Journal Paper

Other interesting stories:

Baboon friends have more closely related gut communities

Lichens are awesome

Plants depend on bacteria when producing defensive chemicals

Using bacterial communication signal to modify gut microbe communities

Deinococcus could be useful biotech species (review)

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BacterioFiles 210 - Archaea Acquired Alternative Abilities

This episode: Genes taken from bacteria may have been important for the evolution of distinct groups of archaea!

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Show notes:
Journal Paper

Other interesting stories:

Bacterial signals could tell cancer cells to stop causing problems

(Sulfite-free) wine could have helpful bacteria

Probiotic prevents chickens from carrying human pathogen (paper)

Plants keep helpful bacteria in their seeds

Bacteria are helping break down drugs in waterways

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BacterioFiles 161 - Permafrost Produces Perceptible Pithos

This episode: The largest virus so far has been discovered in ancient Siberian permafrost!

B: Pitho particles.
C: honeycomb cork at one end.
D: Other end.

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Show notes:
News item/Journal Paper

Other interesting stories:

**Plants seem to stimulate bacteria to degrade pollutants (paper)
**Gene therapy with virus could help repair brain damages
**Phages could soon be important for treating bacterial infections
**Certain portions of gut microbiome, and inflammation, associated with colon cancer (paper) (TWiM 71)
**Yogurt probiotics might not change gut community in major ways

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BacterioFiles Micro Edition 118 - Fungi Found in Seafloor Sediments

This episode: Fungi are found living deep under the sea!

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Transcript

Show notes:
News Item/Journal Paper

Other interesting stories:

**Scientists test artificial feces transplants to treat C. difficile infections
**Exposure to bacteria from adult male mice seems to protect young female mice against type 1 diabetes
**Bacteria that take electrons from iron can take them directly from electricity too and fix carbon dioxide
**Sea creatures often team up with bacteria that produce potential new drugs
**Engineered herpes virus could inhibit metastasis of certain cancers

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BacterioFiles Micro Edition 73 - Single Cells Start Sticking

This episode: Scientists coax yeast to evolve into multicellular clusters!

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Transcript

Show notes:
News item 1/News item 2/Journal Paper

Other interesting stories:
**Bacterial swarm communication could improve robots
**Plant pests trade good bacteria by feeding on the same plant
**Yeast cell parents give daughter cells their newer, less damaged proteins
**Researchers figure out how bacteria break down certain hazardous pollutants
**E. coli made to produce biofuel from switchgrass
**Bacteria could help produce vaccines (paper)
**Probiotics could help when brain trauma causes whacky immune system

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

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BacterioFiles Micro Edition 70 - Microbes Make Multiple Magnets

This episode: Some bacteria have been discovered that construct multiple types of magnet in their cells!

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Transcript

Show notes:
News item 1/News item 2/Journal Paper

Other interesting stories:
**Engineered bacteria grow in bullseye design
**Logic gates designed in bacteria
**Virus could be used as building blocks for eyes, skin, teeth
**Algae could clean water and create biofuel in the process
**Students modify yeast to add vitamins to bread
**Bacteria could produce better sunscreen
**Engineered herpes could treat breast cancer (what a treatment!)

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

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BacterioFiles Micro Edition 20 - Archaea Advanced Apart

This episode: Our archaeal ancestors may have been more important to us than bacterial!

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Show notes:
Journal paper

Other interesting stories:
**About the bacterial immune system
**Company patents microbe that makes and secretes biofuels from sunlight
**Bacteria ate up gases before oil in gulf
**A pickle spoilage bacterium could help clean up environment
**Heat-loving microbes in Arctic could hibernate for 100 million years

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BacterioFiles Micro Edition 12 - Bacteria Barricade Bone Bits

This episode: Bacteria help preserve fossils!

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Download Just the Story

Show notes:
News item/Journal paper

Other interesting stories:
**Paper on viruses in a very salty lake

**Ethanol-resistant yeast good for biofuels

**An experiment forces bacteria to evolve
**Structure of adenovirus solved
**Gut microbe transplants discussed

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

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BacterioFiles Episode 13

In this show, I report on four exciting stories: bacteria made to clean up pesticides, new findings from microbial fossils, fighting bacteria with bacteria, and cells with synthetic genomes.

(Image credit: Tom Deerinck and Mark Ellisman of the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research at the University of California at San Diego)


Download Episode (13 MB, 14 minutes)

Download Sections:
Intro
Story 1
Story 2
Story 3
Story 4
Ending Comments

Show notes:
Story 1: News item 1/News item 2/Journal paper
Story 2: News item/Journal Paper
Story 3: News item/Journal Paper
Story 4: News articles 1 2 3 4 5 6 7/Journal Paper/Video

Other interesting stories:
**New method for studying metabolism of microbial communities
**Making bricks out of bacteria and sand
**Op-ed about the potential for life on Earth unrelated to the life we know
**Study about biocathodes for microbial fuel cells
**Yeast used for wine could be good for bioethanol too
**Article about bacteria and clean fuel production
**How adding good bacteria to soil could help wheat grow
**Soil microbes may "breathe" organic matter as well as minerals
**Cheese seems like a good carrier for probiotics for elderly
**Quick-evolving bacteria may be good for digestive health
**Human microbiome project stories: 1 2 3
**Bacteria share genes more with family
**Genes of bacteria that are good for plant growth
**Gut bacteria of tsetse fly could help prevent sleeping sickness

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!

Subscribe at iTunes, check out the show at Twitter, MicrobeWorld, or SciencePodcasters.org

This show features music from Mevio's podsafe Music Alley.