The TWiMmers get cozy with symbionts: bacteria that allow a giant shipworm to oxidize sulfur, and algae that live within salamander cells.
On episode #17 of the podcast This Week in Microbiology, Vincent, Michael and Elio focus on endosymbiosis: the spread of Rickettsia in whitefiles, and a metabolic patchwork in nested symbionts of mealybugs.
About the Hosts of TWiM
Vincent Racaniello, Ph.D. (@profvrr) is Higgins Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Columbia University Medical Center. He has been studying viruses for over 40 years. He teaches virology to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as medical, dental, and nursing students. His lectures are available online at iTunes University, YouTube, and Coursera.
Michael Schmidt, Ph.D. (TWiM) is the Professor and Vice Chairman of Microbiology and Immunology and Director of the Office of Special Programs at the Medical College of South Carolina. Dr. Schmidt is leading a team of infectious disease specialists from three health sciences centers and engineers from industry.