microTalk

When E. Coli's Day Is Gone and It Wants To Ride on…Cocaine. With Vanessa Sperandio, Ph.D.

Cocaine action involves preventing the reuptake of the norepinephrine (NE) transporter, increasing NE and heightening nervous system stimulation.  NE also signals through

You Gotta Be Squid-ding Me!: microTalk with Ned Ruby and Margaret McFall-Ngai

The bacterium Vibrio fischeri colonizes the light organ of the bobtail squid, and this is one of the best characterized symbiotic relationships, thanks to the pioneering

How Microbiology Is Evolving: Insights from ASM Leadership and Researchers

microTalk, recorded live at ASM Microbe 2025, examines the current trajectory and future direction of microbiology. Karl and guests address scientific leadership within t

Weed My Lips: Cannabis Viroids with Dr. Zamir Punja

Viroids are some of the most unusual biological infectious agents because they consist of only very small circular RNA molecules.  They are too small to encode proteins,

Archaea for Me-a With Dr. Alexandre Bisson

Archaea are one of the three domains of life on earth, but these organisms are much more mysterious and less understood than either Bacteria or Eukaryotes.  Dr. Alex B

Eradication of the Guinea Worm with Adam Weiss

Guinea worm infections have been plaguing mankind throughout recorded history. The Carter Center took the lead in the guinea worm eradication effort in the 1980's, when t

CHARMing the Superbugs with Dr. Victor Nizet

Antibiotic resistant bacteria are threatening modern society by making antibiotics obsolete. Dr. Nizet is a Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Pediatrics at UC

300 Days in Space with Astronaut Dr. Kate Rubins

Houston, we definitely do NOT have a problem…with interviewing Dr. Kate Rubins, NASA astronaut.  Dr. Rubins is a virologist who has spent over 300 days in space, performi

Gut on a Chip: Human Gastrointestinal Organoids with Dr. Hyun Jung Kim

Dr. Hyun Jung Kim, an Assistant Professor at Cleveland Clinic specializes in coaxing human cultured cells to differentiate and form tissues resembling the gastrointestina

Plague, Anthrax, and ASM, Oh My! With ASM president Virginia Miller and president-elect Theresa Koehler

Plague and anthrax are feared diseases due to high mortality rates following pulmonary exposure, and both are considered potential bioweapons.  Dr. Virginia Miller, pr

Microbes to the Rescue! Bioremediation with Dr. John Coates

Dr. John Coates, a professor at the University of California Berkeley specializes in environmental microbiology and how microbes can be utilized to resolve problems in in

The Evolution Revolution with Dr. Vaughn Cooper

The study of evolution has experienced a tremendous revolution with the advances in current sequencing technologies enabling e.g. rapid whole genome sequencing.  Dr. V

Adversary o' Malaria with Dr. Debopam Chakrabarti

Malaria continues to have a significant impact on humans. The Plasmodium parasites are transmitted through mosquito bites, and the disease has a tremendous impact on glob

"Ex" Marks the Spot: Exosomes with Ramin Hakami

Exosomes are small vesicles that that facilitate communication between eukaryotic cells. They resemble mini-cells, and act like carrier pigeons, trafficking various "payl

Coxiella burnettii with Stacey Gilk

Coxiella burnettii causes Q Fever, a zoonotic disease that is rarely acquired by humans. But Q Fever has a history of being developed as a bioweapon because of its abilit

Chytridiomycosis: Amphibians and Fungal Disease with Anat Belasen

There have been dramatic declines in amphibian populations around the world, and one of the culprits is the disease Chytridiomycosis.  This is a skin disease of amphibian

The Largest Bacterium, Thiomargarita Magnifica, with Jean-Marie Volland

Microbiology textbooks teach that bacteria are so small that they cannot be seen without a microscope, and that they do not contain organelles or a nucleus. Then along co

Vibrio vulnificus (and other Vibrios) with Salvador Almagro-Moreno

Vibrios are marine bacteria that live in aquatic environments with a lot of other microbes, and occasionally a particular strain will arise that can cause serious disease

Get a Whiff of Cdiff: A Discussion About C. difficile with Vincent Young

One of the consequences of the "Antibiotic Era" has been the increased occurrence of infections caused by Clostridioides difficile, also known as "Cdiff", which in some c

A Career in the Time of Cholera: A Discussion with ASM Lifetime Achievement Award Winner John Mekalanos

Dr. John Mekalanos (Harvard Medical School) has devoted his career to the study of bacterial pathogens, with a special emphasis to understanding Vibrio cholerae, the bact