Tales from the Microbial Laboratory

a rainy day

~bored Airstream dogs~

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It rained today.

I mean, it really rained today.  Inches and inches of the stuff - rain that's turning into ice and snow as it moves northward.

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I worked from home.

In the Airstream.

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With The Pointer Sisters and Stanley.

They were bored out of their gourds (translation:  they drove me nuts).

Thankfully, the rain is moving away from our coast and the sun is supposed to return tomorrow.  The Pointer Sisters need to run...and run and run. 

the advantages to being a Pointer Sister

~The Pointer Sisters~

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There are numerous advantages to being a Pointer Sister.

First off, I'm guessing the Pointers aren't stressing over the holidays.  Most likely, they don't have a silly mental list (must less one on paper) of 'things to do' that is just insanely impossible to check off.  And if they did have a list, it would include items like 'reinforce efforts to catch squirrel', 'go to bed early', and 'attempt to steal other Pointer's treat'.

They aren't concerned about the fact that it's be the third year in a row that they haven't sent out holiday cards.

And baking?  In the world of the Pointer Sister, homemade cinnamon rolls and caramel popcorn isn't a must-have...although if they were handed to them or were accidentally dropped in front of their noses, it would be delightful.

The Pointers are also not worried that the dash of their car must have an electrical glitch, even when the indoor lights (that allow you to see how much over the speed limit you are going) and the 'lighter' where you charge your phone aren't working - and the Pointers aren't thinking 'I'd better get this fixed before I head to Virginia'.

I like the holidays, but the past few years they've been really tough - and this year is no exception.  Life itself is a bit too stressful right now to add on top of it all packages and ribbons and cookies and...cheer.

Finally, the Pointer Sisters are brimming over with good cheer - and somewhere, embedded in these words, is the secret to living well. 

Gifts for that Special Microbiologist on your List, The 2009 Edition

 
~The Pointer Sisters and Handsome (Sleeping) Stan~

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[Now, I realize the Airstream Dogs are by no means microscopic (like the microbe), but they are quite interesting (like the microbe), are often difficult to control (like the microbe), and are characterized by a diverse carbon source utilization profile (like the microbe).  Hence, their inclusion in this festive holiday post.]

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Welcome to the 2009 Edition of Gifts for that Special Microbiologist on your List!

The need for this list has arisen out of the intense global demand for special gifts for microbiologists - because, as we all know, microbiologists are a wonderful group of people:  obsessed with the microscopic, brilliant, and just-all-around-fascinating.  But because they are such an intensely focused and unique group, shopping for them during the holiday season, or any season for that matter, is a bit of a challenge.

Hence, this list.

In case you've missed previous editions, you can take a look at them by following these links:   The 2006 Edition.  The 2007 Edition.  The 2008 Edition.  (I try not to duplicate too much, so you might want to take a look at lists for past years.  I haven't gone back and checked to be sure that all of the older links are still good - so be forewarned).

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So let's begin!

~Bacteriograms by Erno-Erik Raitanen (with permission from the Artist)~ 

I'd like to start off with the work of artist/photographer Erno-Erik Raitanen.  First, take a look at his bacteriograms, and then read this statement from the artist.  From Raitanen's statement:

As the name Bacteriograms implies, this series is closer to photograms than photographs.  These images are made without a camera, by cultivating bacteria on the gelatine surface of the negatives, using a similar process as the one used in laboratories to grow bacteria on agar in petri dishes.  With this work I want to raise questions about representation and reality; the nature and the place of photographic medium in contemporary society.

 Fascinating!

~~~~~

As we all know, art is in the eye of the beholder, so we now shift from the exotic bacteriogram to the another microbial art form.  Your favorite collection of Agar Art- transferred onto a T-shirt or mug...and then there is microbe-inspired art over at MICROBO-- where you'll find microbe-inspired sketches and paintings.

Now these don't look for sale, but do go and take a look at the Biopaintings over at MicrobialArt.com.  Lovely!  (Perhaps commission a piece...or two?)

What about a Critical Art performance?  Perhaps you're looking for something a bit more controversial for that special Microbiologist?  From Critical Art Ensemble's Position Paper titled 'A Body of Fear in a World of Threat':

Bacterial warfare is one of the recent scareheads that we are being served by the pseudo-scientists who contribute to the flaming pages of the Sunday annexes syndicated over the nation's press....I consider that it is highly questionable if biological agents are suitable for warfare.

So maybe you might want to see when they have another performance so that you can buy a pair of tickets for your special Microbiologist.

Their position paper reminded me of "Germs:  Biological Weapons and America's Secret War" by Judith Miller.  Perhaps it would be a fun little stocking stuffer for that special (bioterrorism-obsessed) someone? 

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Now, for a good old-fashioned microbial mystery...

Who Killed The Microbiologists?: The Investigations of Margaret Blackburn Book V

From Flipkart:

The British Embassy to the UN, suspecting an international conspiracy, asks Margaret Blackburn, the attractive amateur sleuth to investigate a string of murders that spans the globe from Memphis, Tennessee to Brisbane, Australia. The victims are top scientists specialized in bioterrorism research. To accomplish her mission, Margaret has to go to Montreal where she must first reopen the case of Isabelle de Valois, murdered 30 years earlier. The solution of this case is key to the mystery of the murdered microbiologists. This is book V in the series of novels, the Investigations of Margaret Blackburn.

Murdered microbiologists!  It just can't be.

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Or what about a First Edition copy of Michael Crichton's 1969 The Andromeda Strain?

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Now, as for rare books, for that extra EXTRA special Microbiologist in your life - what about this find, describing Robert Brown's first observations on what later became known as 'Brownian motion'?  Here's the description of the book from The Manhattan Rare Book Company:

A brief account of microscopical observations made in the months of June, July and August 1827, on the particles contained in the pollen of plants, and on the general existence of active molecules in organic and inorganic bodies, pp. 161-73 in The Philosophical Magazine, Vol. 4. London: R. Taylor, 1828. WITH:  Additional remarks on active molecules, pp. 161-6 in The Philosophical Magazine, Vol. 6. London: R. Taylor, 1829. Octavo, contemporary full calf sympathetically rebacked. Two volumes. Institutional stamp on one text leaf (not part of either Brown paper). Fine condition, very handsomely bound.

 Handsomely bound indeed!  (And do remember that the sky is the limit when it comes to your favorite Microbiologist...so, as for the sky - take a look at this rare first edition of Robert Carswell's 1838 Pathological Anatomy.  The drawings of the disease pathologies (see the example below) in this book are simply incredible!

~from Robert Carswell's 1838 Pathological Anatomy, found at The Manhattan Rare Book Company~   
  

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Pardon me, I love books.  I was beginning to get a bit off track (and most likely out of everyone's budget range).  Enough about rare books...for now.

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The Mad Scientists of Etsy have been at it again - and unfortunately the Nerd Ornaments are sold out...but perhaps you could add a little fungus to your holiday celebrations?  Interested in a little Penicillium?  Unfortunately it looks as if the Strange Strain of Escherichia coli is sold out - but perhaps you could special order for next year?  It's never too early to start shopping for next year (at least it's not too early for all of you freaks who do your shopping before the week before Christmas).  Oh, and don't forget to take a look at last year's MSOE Microbiology Challenge- there may still be a few items available.

Well - Etsy does seem to be the name of the game this season - a virtual one-stop shopping for all of your microbial gift needs.

There's this lovely microscope necklace.

And what about a radiolarian ornament? 

Or microbiology notecards?

These microbiology-inspired bowls are quite lovely, don't you think?

And from Arctida's creations (whom we mentioned last year) - what about these lovely earrings- shaped like the rabies virus?  These were created in response to the Mad Scientists of Etsy's 'Louis Pasteur' challenge.

So, now that we're on the subject of Pasteur, what about this lino block print of Louis Pasteur?

Or a Louis Pasteur finger puppet?

And why stop there???  Why not read a bookor two about Louis?  Or splurge, you only live once (or at least some think) - why not plan a trip for you and your special Microbiologist to visit the Pasteur Museum on the campus of the Pasteur Institute in Paris?

Now if a trip to Paris isn't in your budget, you might want to just sit with your special microbiologist and a laptop and wander around The Virtual Museum of Bacteria.  Remember, your time is a gift too.

 

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Oh, and this is something fun and new (at least to me): Mad Cow Disease Mini Plush in Petri Dish (by Giant Microbes).  Delightful, don't you think? 

What about the MicrobeWorld iPhone app from iTunes?

A Microbiology Video Library on CD?

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Back to books (I can't help myself):

How about 20th Century Microbe Hunters...or this book about Jonas Salk (of polio fame)? 

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And what do you know - there's gift wrap available for this set of slides which include organisms as lovely as pus bacteria and putrefaction-causing bacteria...better yet, make your own slides!  However, you might want to read this book first.

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~Portrait of the Romanian microscopist Ioan Cantacuzino (1863-1934). Artist signed: A. Lavrillier, Jassy 1918. Bronze plaque 150 mm in diameter. (Image and text legend found here)~

Which of course brings up the subject of microscopes.  What microbiologist wouldn't just love to have an antique microscope? 

I love the old ones - isn't this collection of brass microscopes fantastic?

Now, before you think about purchasing a microscope in order to surprise that special Microbiologist, go take a look at ars machina.com, and there you'll find a delightful virtual tour of microscopes (with some for sale - how about this circa 1850 Naturalist pocket field microscope?).  Here are the microscopes that are for sale at ars machina. And if you're more interesting in learning than doing (and that's most definitely NOT to say that you don't learn while you do, quite the opposite in fact) - what about a gift of 19th Century American Microscope Makers on CD-ROM???  And DO NOT overlook the Antique Microscopes calendar - what a great gift for that special (microbiological) someone!

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What about bubbling Erlenmeyer flask earrings?  (Oops - sold out).  You can never go wrong with jewelry - what about this DNA charm...or why not splurge and stop by MoMA and get the necklace, bracelet and earrings?  

Or, with the economy in a bit of a mess, maybe you want to give some homemade gifts this year, and what would a microbiologist want more than petri dish holiday cookies?  Head over to Not So Humble Pie to find out how to make petri dish cookies...or what about these gel electrophoresis cookies?  Gingerbread scientists or the Periodic table?

 

[please ignore the bullets throughout the rest of this post.  I have no idea what is happening, but I can't turn them OFF!!!  It's driving me nuts - it's like the bullet button is stuck ON.  I'll come back and see if I can fix it when (1)  it's not so late, and (2)  I remember to come back and see if I can fix it.]

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~from ThinkGeek~

So is your special Microbiologist a tad fearful of...viruses? If so, give them a gift that let's them dispense soap out of the common cold, a rhinovirus magnified a million times.

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Now this I loved - a Microbiological Chart:

Microorganisms are identified and illustrated in sixty different 2 1/2″ full-color squares. The illustrations are shown at 1,000X magnification, and stained specimens appear in their correct colors. The top and bottom of the chart have metal bindings. Size: 25″ x 35″. 

Then there's a pathogenic microorganism poster...or a microbiology buzzword study guide?

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For something different and more interactive for that special Microbiologist - why not plan a trip to visit the Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences (located in NW Washington, DC)? There you can see an exhibit on infectious disease - and then take a short walk to the Bookstore of the National Academies.

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Now, if the microbiologist in your life has been extra, EXTRA good, you might want to consider getting them the Roche Genome Sequencer FLX Titanium Series (hint, hint).

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Finally, while a 454 sequencer would be delightful, let's be honest for a minute.  What do any of us really want?  Some time.  Someone sharing our passions.  So why not shell out $20 for that special microbe-loving someone, and download the following article:

Roger Y. Stanier.  1980.  The Journey, not the Arrival, Matters.  Annual Review of Microbiology.  Vol. 34, Pages 1-49
(doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.34.100180.000245)

For those of you not familiar with Stanier, well, shame on you.

From Goldner, M. 2007.  The genius of Roger Stanier.  Can. J. Dis. Med. Microbiol.  18(3):193-194:

By depicting the course of evolution in terms of efficient endocytosis, Stanier directed attention to organellar structures and their eventual symbiotic relationships. He explained that the variety of cytoplasmic structures bearing colour pigments actually reflected ancient evolutionary diversity. Photopigment synthesis of free-living forms would have been preserved in the photosynthetic organelles. In time, nuclear organization prevented the evolutionary paths of cosymbionts from freely going their own way. His exceptional insight led him to appreciate the evolutionary significance of bacterial photosynthesis; it was the basis by which he traced the adaptation of organisms from anoxygenic (anaerobic) to oxygenic (aerobic) lifeforms. This produced a turning point in evolution when he realized that pigments in microorganisms played the important role of trapping energy from light. Selection in the emerging eukaryotic cell would have centred on improved efficacy of predation. He then fathomed that special relationships of microbial groups with unique physiological properties tend to occur to establish a shared opportunity for their survival.

But how delightful it will be when you wake up Christmas morning, and your special Microbiologist unwraps a reprint of Stanier's 1980 article...and you offer to read it outloud to your beloved Microbiologist by the fire.

~Roger Y. Stanier (image found here)~ 

Now the 1980 article would be a definite hit, but if this is a Microbiologist that you really want to impress, go back to this piece:  Stanier, R.Y. 1951. The life-work of a founder of bacteriology.  A review of Microbiologie du Sol (Winogradsky).  Quart. Rev. Biol. 26:35-37.

This should knock the socks off any Microbiologist worth their salt - I mean, Stanier writing about Winogradsky?

Now if that doesn't scream Happy Holidays, what does? 

  

~grace~

~more roses at the bottom of a glass jar~

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The roses have now been in the glass jar for six days - you can see them at Day 1 here.  The image above was taken on a concrete stepping stone - it's interesting how the roses almost appear as if they are in a rectangle, instead of leaning against the sides of the jar.  And just like people, some roses age better than others.

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My garden handled the cold quite well last night - I don't think we had either a frost or a freeze - it was a bit cloudy last night, and definitely windy - which helped.  So today the fall-blooming salvias are still blooming, and the morning glories are still rambling and the elephant ears are still - huge.

I went ahead today and put a wreath of evergreens over the morning glories.

~~~~~

 
~A Falcon Guide, Birding South Carolina:  A Guide to 40 Premier Birding Sites, by Jeff Mollenhauer~

The spouse of the young woman who passed away yesterday published a South Carolina birding book earlier this year.  When I was at Barnes and Noble earlier today, there was one copy on the shelf and I purchased it.  It seemed like a small way to support Jeff today, a very small way - considering the trajedy that has befallen his small family.  The book is great - and includes a number of places for birding that I wasn't familiar with and might add to a mental list of things-to-do.

I went to the store to buy a sympathy card, but I found myself unable to do so.  Instead I got a card of a tree filled with different types of birds.  It seemed more appropriate, better somehow.

Today I couldn't help but think of the line from the U2 song 'Grace':

Grace makes beauty out of ugly things.

Something good will need to come out of this.  It must.

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My Father had a good appointment with his physician today - and the MRI did not reveal any problems.  He also scored substantially higher on his cognitive tests.  There was much relief at this news, and tonight my Dad is happy and awaiting a weekend of bad weather in Virginia.  He had asked me to send him a 'list' of possible Christmas gifts, and so tonight I sent him a list of something things I needed in the Airstream (a 'griddler' and a toaster), books (Henry Mitchell's gardening books), a few other things (including new Birki gardening clogs - replacing the ones that I said farewell to last summer)...and a 2010 convertible jaguar.  Tonight on the phone I told him that he wouldn't have to wrap the convertible.  He laughed.

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I have ALOT of editing, writing, and reviewing to do.

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I need to compile and post the 2009 Gifts for that Special Microbiologist in your List soon.  Here is the list for 2008.  I think that this post gets more hits than any other on this site - except perhaps for the post written about my visit to Pearl Fryar's garden in Bishopville, South Carolina.  Who knew that so many people were shopping for microbiologists?  That just warms my heart.

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   I need to make my holiday cards.

I have made them every year...for years...until 2006, when I bought these papers/colors that I obviously was at a loss about when I brought them home.  (They are rather horrible, aren't they?).

I'm still at a loss - but want to do something.  I have the envelopes, cards, paints, etc.  Now I just need a VISION.  Here is a look at a card from a past year.

This is my favorite (personal) holiday tradition - something I've been doing since I was in my 20s.  I'm determined to do them again this year - if even they become a card welcoming in the new year (in fact, I might even prefer that).

I'd better get on it then, don't you think?

~~~~~
 

On a much lighter note...

 
~Roses at the bottom of a glass jar (on Day I)~

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[I'm still rather enamored with David Perry's Mason Jar Master Class - and so a few days ago collected roses from the garden and placed them on the bottom of a large glass jar.  I'm taking photos everyday of the roses as they age, and I'm moving the jar around some - and taking the photos with the jar on different surfaces.  Some have worked (flagstone), some have definitely not worked (bottom of a bright yellow kayak) and some are interesting though odd (on a bit of ground littered with yellow-orange-red chinese tallow leaves).  And for those of you who are curious, we have not had a frost/freeze as of yet along my little piece of the South Carolina coast.]

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Yesterday I mentioned that the Airstream electricity had 'blown' and this evening an electrician made it by, and things are back 'on' - not perfect, but much improved.  Last night was an interesting night:  after my initial meltdown, and after my frustration subsided, I settled down and built a nice fire outdoors and sat and talked on the phone with a friend from Michigan as the dogs ran around, and then I connected an outdoor extension cord (coming from the falling-down house) to the Airstream and was able to warm the place up a bit, turn-on the computer, and heat up some leftover quiche.  I ended up going to bed early, with a flashlight and a book:  it was warm and quiet and really not so bad afterall.

But tonight it is almost luxurious to have several electricial appliances going at once - the dehumidifier is on, I'm typing away here, and the Vornado is blowing warm air.  It's raining outside - the Airstream is a nice place to be in the rain.

I still have the refrigerator off, and I won't be able to have it running on electricity until a few things are upgraded.  The electrician, who stopped by this evening, is scheduled to return early Thursday morning - and he's going to look at the fusebox and utility pole and propose a plan.  I will be present when he evaluates the electrical system, and I'm hoping to learn a thing or two.

~~~~~

 
 ~Another view of roses at the bottom of a glass jar (on Day I)~

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Did you happen to see the link today to a New York Post piece titled 'Cozy-crazy couple makes tight all right in the city's tiniest studio'?

First, let's do the math:  They live in 175-square-foot microstudio.  It's 14.9 feet long and 10 feet wide, with a 3 feet by 9 feet bathroom (okay, so that looks more like 176-square-feet).  My Airstream home is 27 feet long and 8 feet wide ( 216-square-feet).

So my Airstream is larger than their $150,000 microstudio with a view of Upper Manhattan.

Oh, and they also have two cats.

From the article:

The couple wakes up every morning in their queen-size bed, which takes up one-third of the living space.

They then walk five feet toward the tiny kitchen, where they pull out their workout clothes, which are folded neatly in two cabinets above the sink. A third cabinet holds several containers of espresso for their only kitchen appliance, a cappuccino maker.

They turn off their hotplate, and use the space on the counter as a feeding area for their cats, Esmeralda and Beauregard.

"We don't cook," Zaarath said, adding that their fridge never has any food in it. "So when you don't cook, you don't need plates or pots or pans. So we use that space for our clothes."

Okay, so I don't have a queen-sized bed, or a view of Manhattan.  But I do have 46-square-feet on these guys....so there. 

~~~~~

    
 ~And yet another view of roses at the bottom of a glass jar (on DayI)~

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The Microbial Lab had a manuscript published this week (you can read the abstract here) and another manuscript was officially accepted.  Another is in the hand's of it's co-authors, and a draft of another manuscript was given to me today by a student.  It really has been a rewarding time, with respect to publications - no doubt about that.

There was a wonderful piece on the CBS evening news last night - I didn't watch it (since I was on a strict rotating electrical appliance schedule, and the TV didn't make the cut) - but was able to watch the piece here...and here's a nice companion article.

 On her view of why some men have trouble with women in science careers (from the video):

"...I'm just not so comfortable bringing her into the group..."   Carol Greider, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University.

Hmmmm.  I have quite a bit to say here, but this is not the place to say it.  Perhaps a better place is around a fire outside of an Airstream (with something stronger than apple cider to drink).

~~~~~ 

Have you been following the 'climate change email controversy'?  There's quite a bit, floating around out there, about what happened.  There's much being said - like this...and this / this.  (And remember this?).  My general (and perhaps naive) sense is that this discussion is good - perhaps it will, in time, help people understand a bit more deeply about how science works.  Now that's something I could write about here, that is, if I have electricity and if I lose interest in roses at the bottom of glass jars.

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 ~~~~~

~the flying pointer sisters~

~a Pointer Sister vacation...for the birds~

~live oak, outside of the Airstream~

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Today I was enjoying the birds - goldfinches and nuthatches were swarming the feeders, woodpeckers clinging onto the trunk of the live oaks, mockingbirds dive-bombing the perennial border, and morning doves scavenging alone the ground - and I foolishly thought to myself 'why are there so many birds around today?'

Silly me.  I don't pick up the Pointer Sisters from the kennel until tomorrow morning.  The birds have had a reprieve, a pointer-free holiday of their own over the past week.  Tomorrow the birds will be sharing space once again with a pair of crazy bird dogs.

~~~~~

~back on I-95 tomorrow~

~Pyrus pyrifolia, asian pear~

This pear has such nice fall color - and, as for the pears, I battle for them with the squirrels each year.  The squirrels are winning.

~~~~~

I'm heading to Virginia tomorrow - I'll make a stop for an early dinner with one of my Mother's sisters in Richmond, and then I'll head to Earlsyville and my Dad's home.  It'll be nice to meet Dad's new live-in healthcare person - she seems so nice, and he likes her so much.  So far - so good, even better than good.

~~~~~

 
~the face in the oak~

It does look like a face, doesn't it?  Perhaps like the face of an owl?  I was standing outside with the Pointer Sisters today - and there it was, staring back.  It's not so odd that I noticed it really, I've mentioned my fascination with bark before.  In fact, I'm working on getting a group of 'bark' photographs framed for a little show sometime in the winter.

~~~~~

My visit to Virginia should be a busy one - I'll be helping my Dad's new healthcare person to get settled in to a above-ground 'basement' apartment so that she has space of her own for the five days she stays with him each week.  I've also got to get Dad's finances streamlined so that he doesn't miss paying his bills on time (which has happened numerous times recently) - I'll probably just get my name on his bank account so I can pay things online from Charleston.  There will also be an interview with my Father's longterm health insurance provider, and my Father also has an MRI on Wednesday - to rule out that he hasn't had a small stroke or seizure which might explain his cognitive decline.  And yes, there will be Thanksgiving dinner - at my Mom's sister's club on the James River in Richmond (I know, no leftovers - perhaps I'll cook on Friday?  Maybe...maybe not.).

~~~~~

~the Pointer Sisters at rest~

Yes, it's one of those rare moments - but since some recent fence repairs, the Pointer Sisters have been getting their much-needed twenty miles or so of running in each day - resulting in sweet, sweet exhausted Pointer Sisters by night.  Unfortunately this duo has to go to the kennel tomorrow - with so much to do in Virginia, having them come along would be prohibitive.  So I'll take them to the kennel first thing in the morning, and I feel a bit bad because I didn't call in time to get their usual kennel (that has two acres fenced in for them to run) - so tomorrow they check in to a kennel with your typical dog run, and not much more.  They'll be together though, so that is good.

I really enjoy the Pointer Sisters.

~~~~~

I'm not looking forward to tomorrow's drive - I think there will be rain most of the way - at least I-95 shouldn't have alot of traffic.  I've downloaded the book 'The Help' to listen to along the way - I've heard good things about it, and it sounds like it might be a good one for the road.  Stanley will be traveling with me (he's so good) and Haiku will have the place (aka Airstream) to herself (with someone stopping by to check on her).

I'm sure I'll be checking in here from time-to-time too.

~an apple~

~Mutsu (Crispin)~

~~~~~

How nice it is when a colleague, who is walking down the hallway holding an ordinary brown paper bag, reaches inside of it and hands you a lovely apple.

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I just finished comments/edits on another manuscript - this one describing the genome of a coral pathogen (the one show in the upper left-hand image).  I'm excited about getting this work published:  it will be the first published genome of a coral pathogen, and one that is globally-distributed and exhibits a fascinating temperature-dependent pathogenicity.  It's a fascinating microorganism.

But that's not to say that the genome of corn isn't fascinating too.  What would the world be like without cornbread, corn flakes, etc...corn is complicated, isn't it?   

~~~~~

a view off the IOP connector

~the marsh on a late November afternoon, at 50 mph~