Explore every episode of the podcast Short Stories of Bacteria

Bacteria vs the Sun, and your life hangs in the balance. More today on this episode of SSB.

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://www.jidonline.org/article/S0022-202X(25)00405-1/fulltext

Wait, so now you're telling me that bacteria and fungi can listen to me? Sort of...we'll talk about that and more on today's episode. 

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0295

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/10/1/63

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfs.12856

Dr. K makes his triumphant return to discuss bats, viruses, and the power of flight. 

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00268-z

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-03128-0

Could bacteria help organisms survive the cold? More on today's episode of SSB.

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adk9117

If you can understand this episode, thank your microbiome. :)

https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/mgen/10.1099/mgen.0.001322

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2014.0063#d3e1303

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC539636/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3973910/pdf/fnana-08-00015.pdf

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 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg   

New styles of movement for bacteria? Such fascinating!

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smll.202407832

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg   

Merry Christmas from us over here at Short Stories of Bacteria!


https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452231719300090#s0055

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg  

We know the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, but how did it even get there? All this and more in today's episode. 

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03224-5 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7356350/ 

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg 

Could we use bacteria to track people's movement? We'll talk about this and more on today's episode.

https://academic.oup.com/gbe/article/16/11/evae209/7814710

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

Another aquatic bacteria? Thank you so much! This one is named Chonkus and has big implications for industry!

https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/aem.00841-24

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

Allow us to introduce you to an aquatic bacteria that uses grappling hooks and cannons to kill its prey.

[Pirate Bacteria Video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpVLBimTx2M&feature=youtu.be

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241017173150.htm

dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.adp0614

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

In 2014, people took the Ice Bucket Challenge to promote awareness for ALS. But bacteria like cyanobacteria it turns out, did their own cold plunge at a lab in Nashville, TN. 

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado8588

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

Could it be that (horror of horrors), your own microwave has its own microbiome??

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1395751/full

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

While fecal transplants represent an exciting leap forward, there still are some issues with it. We'll explore how to remedy these issues in today's episode.

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240612140911.htm

https://www.cell.com/device/fulltext/S2666-9986(24)00242-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2666998624002424%3Fshowall%3Dtrue#secsectitle0080

In a world full of pathogenic fungus, this frog is defying the odds to ward off extinction.

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://www.amphibianark.org/the-crisis/chytrid-fungus/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07582-y

 Changes in your microbiome influence the aches and pains we have as we get older! We'll jump into this in today's episode. 

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-023-01502-8
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acel.14190

Bacteria as it turns out are pretty good at manipulating brains. We'll see a dramatic example of that in today's episode!


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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6469458/

https://academic.oup.com/ismej/article/18/1/wrae078/7683888

Is there a relationship between our microbiome and cancer therapy? All this and more on today's episode!

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2017.22938

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aan4236

https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)00538-5?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867424005385%3Fshowall%3Dtrue#%20

Scientists are using dogs and rats to help fight disease! Learn out how in this episode!

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01751-9

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557773/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1472979212001436?via%3Dihub

With all the hubbub around phage therapy, why hasn't this replaced antibiotics entirely? We'll touch on some of the reasons in today's episode..

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-024-01705-x

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(21)00612-5/abstract

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3278648/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01403-9

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02209-0

Have you ever wondered what getting sick in space is like? Learn more about this on today’s episode!

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/article/PIIS2666-5247(24)00098-3/fulltext#%20

Do bacteria sleep? Find out in today's episode!


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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://www.quantamagazine.org/most-life-on-earth-is-dormant-after-pulling-an-emergency-brake-20240605/

https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/public-education/brain-basics/brain-basics-understanding-sleep

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07041-8

What happens when two diets go head to head? And can bacteria help one diet come out on top?


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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-48355-5

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240528192103.htm 

Wouldn't it be just great if we could make a designer antibiotic that didn't murther our own microbiome?


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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01566-8

What do vaccinations, differential equations, and your addiction to chocolate all have in common? We’ll talk about that and so much more on today’s episode of short stories of bacteria.

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240423155910.htm

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0294579

https://damecacao.com/chocolate-statistics/#12

So why are we supposed to save our eggshells again? We'll talk about this in today's episode!


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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240501100751.htm

https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/aem.00242-24

https://gardenpals.com/gardening-statistics/#:~:text=1.%20The%20Covid%20pandemic%20created%2018.3%20million%20new%20gardeners%2C%20most%20of%20whom%20are%20millennials.

Could we use bacteria to help with blood transfusions? Find out today on today's episode!



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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://www.sciencealert.com/enzymes-discovered-in-gut-bacteria-can-change-a-donors-blood-groups

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-024-01663-4

Time to solve a murder! Only this time, we'll be using bacteria to catch the killer!

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/03/240304135902.htm

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-023-01580-y

Could you get the benefits of fasting just from sipping some kombucha? We’ll talk all about this today on short stories of bacteria.

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://www.sciencealert.com/kombucha-could-trigger-similar-benefits-to-fasting-study-finds

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/dm/2022/5653739/

https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1011003

"What on earth is a Death Vesicle, Dr. K?" you ask. We'll learn all about this, about biofilms and so much more in today's episode.

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/03/240305134236.htm

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259020752400008X?via%3Dihub

A microwaved bacteria? But why? For what purpose, Dr. K? All this an more on today's episode. Don't forget to check out the YouTube Channel!!

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg

https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240228115413.htm

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c03464

In this first episode of Stories from the Ivory Guesthouse, we speak with my good friend Dr. Jordan Iratishe, who briefly shares her story to science, her work in graduate school, and suggestions for those starting their scientific journey. Hope you enjoy!

https://www.instagram.com/official_drjc/

https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/

Did you know that tea quality is dependent on bacteria? Learn all about this and so much more on today's episode of short stories of bacteria.

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240215113554.htm

https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(24)00079-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982224000794%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9014247/

In a world that is overrun with plastics, a team of worms and bacteria could be all the difference.

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240208122029.htm

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412023006220?via%3Dihub

https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2018/09/24/plastic-pollution-affects-sea-life-throughout-the-ocean

https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/may-2023/understanding-plastic-pollution-and-its-impact-lives

Kamikaze (or divine wind, in Japanese), was a way that Japanese fighter pilots would try to attack Allied ships in WWII. Could they possible have something in common with bacteria?

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/

https://www.mpi-dortmund.mpg.de/news/soldier-cells

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-023-01571-z

Stress is awful for so many reasons, but one that you may not have known was that it damages our microbiome! Listen to SSB for more info!

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1550413123004771?via%3Dihub

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00188-4

Does your table infect you?? Can you make your table a little less infectious? All this and more in this episode of Short Stories of Bacteria.

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666765723000741?via%3Dihub#sec0016

https://www.helsinki.fi/en/news/public-health/even-treated-wood-prevents-bacterial-transmission-hand

We all know babies rely on moms as they develop, but did you know that this happens in part through the mom's microbiome?

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/

https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12915-023-01709-9

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231101134810.htm

How does a poor wounded ant survive a termite bite when the threat of infection is so high? All this and more on today's episode!

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/004724849290081J

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/naked-mole-rat 

https://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/news-and-events/news/detail/news/ant-antibiotics/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-43885-w

One of the most fascinating area of research goes into how pathogenic microorganisms and their hosts fight it out in the battlefield of life. Here we discuss a new weapon that plants use to tackle their miniature enemies!

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/

https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00470-5?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS1931312823004705%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

https://www.cell.com/trends/plant-science/fulltext/S1360-1385(22)00245-X

So it turns out that what determines the colour of our urine is bacteria! Find out more in this episode of SSB.

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/anatomy-of-the-urinary-system

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-023-01549-x

With a bunch of keys in its paws, this bacteria targets a bunch of different prey..

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-023-01552-2

How does one achieve immortality? Does bacteria play a role in said immortality? Welcome back for a New Year of Bacterial Stories!!

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/

https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/new-years-resolutions-statistics/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5783610/

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/artful-amoeba/inside-earth-microbes-approach-immortality/

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2224004-exclusive-humans-placed-in-suspended-animation-for-the-first-time/

https://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/microbes-help-hibernating-animals-recycle-nutrients-maintain-muscle-through-winter/

Happy Christmas and Holiday season from SSB! In this episode, we'll be looking at the charming reindeer and its adaptations to the frigid climes of the North.

[Correction: After consulting with a zoologist, it turns out that reindeer and caribou are the same thing! Please excuse the typo.]

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/

https://reindeerowners.com/general-information-about-reindeer/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-scientific-reason-why-reindeer-have-red-noses-166263479/

https://phys.org/news/2021-12-ways-reindeer-perfectly-evolved-santa.html

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0155213

Today we shall explore the oozy-goozy goo of the slug and the snail. Surely there's no connexion between that and bacteria, is there? Tune in to another episode of SSB!

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/

https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/insects-invertebrates/what-is-snail-slime

https://journals.physiology.org/doi/epdf/10.1152/ajpregu.1983.245.3.R448

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8822593/

https://www.kqed.org/science/27260/banana-slugs-secret-of-the-slime

https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/jcim-2017-0168/html

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2018/june/how-slug-slime-could-help-heal-a-broken-heart.html

The most famous bacteria in history is no doubt the bacteria that caused the Plague. Today, on another episode focused on disease history, we'll identify this bacteria, how it works, and how it presented itself through history. 

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/

https://www.cdc.gov/plague/faq/index.html#:~:text=Top%20of%20Page-,What%20is%20the%20basic%20transmission%20cycle%20of%20plague%3F,mammals%20during%20a%20subsequent%20feeding.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41435-019-0065-0

https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/cmr.00044-19

https://origins.osu.edu/connecting-history/covid-justinianic-plague-lessons?language_content_entity=en

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7513766/#:~:text=The%20Black%20Death%20or%20bubonic,people%20in%20fourteenth%2Dcentury%20Europe.&text=Yersinia%20pestis%20(the%20plague%20bacteria,weaponized%20as%20a%20bioterrorism%20agent.&text=Early%20plague%20treatment%20is%20curative,Modern%20outbreaks%20still%20regularly%20occur

https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/medicine/bubonic-plague-first-pandemic

In this spicy episode of SSB, we address more of your questions regarding the impact of the microbiome on flavor, as well as different ways that the oral microbiome is influenced. 

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/

https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2049-2618-2-41

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214799323000449

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7730216/

https://news.cornell.edu/stories/1998/03/food-bacteria-spice-survey-shows-why-some-cultures-it-hot

It's very rare that we see bacteria as being the heroes of a story. Don't they typically act as pathogens? In this episode of SSB, we see how bacteria could possibly shield us from some of the deadliest diseases in the world. 

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/

https://www.worldmosquitoprogram.org/en/work/wolbachia-method/how-it-works

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7008210/

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dengue-and-severe-dengue#:~:text=Dengue%20is%20a%20viral%20infection,million%20infections%20occurring%20each%20year.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2030243?query=featured_home

Have you ever wondered if bacteria contribute to taste at all? Today on SSB, we'll investigate this curious question, using onions, grapes, even chocolate as our starting point!

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https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4266855/

https://theconversation.com/chocolates-secret-ingredient-is-the-fermenting-microbes-that-make-it-taste-so-good-155552

https://microbiologysociety.org/publication/past-issues/microbes-and-food/article/a-matter-of-taste-using-microbes-to-influence-flavour-production.html

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/jf801873h

How do bacteria and other microbes influence our food and how we experience our food? It turns out in very obvious and not-so-obvious ways. In this episode of SSB, we'll explore one of the common ways we eat bacteria.