Mostly Microbes and Infection

  As omicron -specific boosters near, scientists debate how ‘original antigenic sin’ will influence immune responses.

  How scientists, public health experts & plumbers are embracing wastewater surveillance as the future of disease tracking.  

  Natural and human-made disasters can cause tremendous physical damage, societal change, and suffering. In addition to their effects on people, disasters have been shown to alter the microbial population in the area affected. Alterations for microbial populations can lead to new ecological interactions, with additional potentially adverse consequences for many species, including humans. Disaster-related stressors can be powerful forces for microbial selection. Studying microbial adaptation in disaster sites can reveal new biological processes, including mechanisms by which some microbes could become pathogenic and others could become beneficial (e.g., used for bioremediation).