Microbe Talk

27:30

Episode 187: Blastocystis: friend or foe?

Microbe Talk ·

2026/09/30

It's the most abundant eukaryotic microbe in humans… But what role does it play in our bodies? For decades, Blastocystis has been thought of as a parasite just like other protists that lurk within humans, such as Plasmodium or Giardia. But research is increasingly finding the opposite to be true, and scientists across the world are fighting to change this perception.This month on Microbe Talk, Lilly is joined by Dr Anastasios Tsaousis and Dr Varol Tunali to discuss their four-year COST

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17:37

Episode 186: Breaking down biofilms with gas

Microbe Talk ·

2026/08/25

This month, Lilly welcomes Dr Jason Brown from the University of Glasgow to discuss his latest research findings using cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), a form of ionised gas, against biofilms in wound infections. Listen in to hear their discussion of what CAP therapy is, how it works, and why this treatment could be a useful alternative to antibiotics. Read Jason's latest research paper in the Journal of Medical Microbiology here, doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.002193, or by visiting our website.

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14:38

Episode 185: What can we learn from involving the...

Microbe Talk ·

2026/07/09

📣 Episode 185 is out now! This month, Lilly welcomes Dr Hannah Trivett from the University of Birmingham to the podcast, to discuss her latest publication bringing patient and public involvement (PPI) and microbial genomics research together for the first time ever. Listen in to hear their discussion of what the public think about effective science communication and how researchers can benefit from incorporating this into their work.Read Hannah's latest research paper here

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31:14

Episode 184: Building a sense of belonging with the...

Microbe Talk ·

2026/06/15

This Pride Month, Dr Bruno Francesco Rodrigues de Oliveira and Dr Landon Getz, two of the founders of the Pride in Microbiology network, join Lilly to discuss why their work to harness community and professional development opportunities for LGBTQ+ scientists around the world is as important as ever.

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32:11

Episode 183: Annual Conference 2026: Meet the Panel...

Microbe Talk ·

2026/04/24

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes planning our flagship Annual Conference? Listen in as Lilly talks to Chairs of the Scientific Conferences Panel during the four day event in Belfast, about the challenges and joys of putting together the exciting programme. Interested in joining? Visit our website to find out more about how to apply for vacancies in our governance structure.

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43:03

Episode 182: Sepsis, superbugs, and antibiotic...

Microbe Talk ·

2026/03/26

"I often like to say that we're not the antibiotic police, but we're the antibiotic sommelier. So, you have a bug and we have the drug, and we try to find the best fit."In this month's Microbe Talk, Charlotte Holtum (Head of Engagement & Storytelling) welcomes guests Dr Alicia Demirjian (UK Health Security Agency and Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust) and Dr Yoann Personne (bioMérieux), to explore an underdiscussed corner of the antimicrobial resistance conversation: its

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16:38

Episode 181: Sexual health and the vaginal microbiome

Microbe Talk ·

2026/02/13

What does a healthy vaginal microbiome look like? Are store-bought vaginal probiotics backed by science? How do these microbes interact with sexually transmitted infections (STIs)? 🦠Research is uncovering more and more about the relationship between the vaginal microbiome and sexual health. That's why this month, I spoke with Prof Wilhelmina Huston, a microbiologist specialising in STIs at the University of Melbourne, Australia, to discuss what science knows so far. 🎧Listen in wherever

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19:43

Episode 180: Society Staff Reflect on 2025

Microbe Talk ·

2025/12/29

In this episode of Microbe Talk, we meet some members of staff at the Microbiology Society to reflect on 2025 and look at ways to get involved in 2026.

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Episode 179: Hidden Companions: How Parasites are...

Microbe Talk ·

2025/12/17

The relationship between humans and parasites is changing along with the climate crisis, globalisation, and innovations in science. In this month's Microbe Talk, we chat to expert Kinga Kowalewska-Grochowska at the University of Alberta, Canada, about the evolutions in how we look at parasites, where they are found, and what the future holds for diagnosing and treating these illnesses. This follows Kowalewska-Grochowska's latest review of the same topic published in the Journal of Medical

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17:44

Episode 178: The Kocurious case of Noodlococcus: From...

Microbe Talk ·

2025/11/06

In 2019, a mysterious shape appeared on a petri dish in a Birmingham lab. Its surprising appearance, similar to noodles, intrigued researchers to find out more about it. They consulted other scientists online at the time, which sparked an idea to start an online club dedicated to sharing laboratory contaminants.Now, the team finally publish their research characterising this contaminant as a new species of bacteria, Kocuria rhizophila, in our journal Microbial Genomics. Researchers Rob

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30:08

Episode 177: Chemical Conversations: Exploring the...

Microbe Talk ·

2025/07/28

In this episode of Microbe Talk, Clare talks to An Bui from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Alberta about their paper published in Microbiology, the first systematic review of the potential effects of psychotropics (the drugs used to treat bipolar disorder) on the gut microbiome of treated and untreated bipolar individuals.A full transcript of this episode is available on our website.

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22:40

Episode 176: From workshop to publication: discussing...

Microbe Talk ·

2025/06/27

In January 2024, Aline Metris and Lindsay Hall hosted an academic-industry workshop at the Microbiology Society offices to discuss the potential long-term implications of microbiome perturbations. Since then, they’ve published a comprehensive summary of the findings from the workshop in Microbial Genomics. We invited them back to the Microbiology Society offices to chat with Clare about their experiences hosting the workshop and share their insights from the paper. If you’d like to read the

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22:02

Episode 175: Dr Beth Mills and Akpan Friday on...

Microbe Talk ·

2025/05/28

In this episode, Adam discovers how two microbiologists from opposite sides of the world formed a collaboration and mentorship that has greatly benefited them both.When in-person classes were suspended during the 2020 lockdown, Akpan Friday, a student from Nigeria, reached out on social media seeking support to continue his and his classmates’ learning. Dr Beth Mills from the University of Edinburgh responded to the call and began delivering free online lectures to the students.Although

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20:36

Episode 174: Our miniseries for Annual Conference...

Microbe Talk ·

2025/04/03

We're in Liverpool this week, hosting our annual conference and meeting our members, collaborators and authors.We know that there will be a lot of exciting conversations, interesting presentations and vital networking opportunities happening all over the and wanted to make sure you could keep the excitement going even after the events of the day have finished.So, across the four days of annual conference we'll be bringing you mini episodes of Microbe Talk, each featuring a presenter from

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9:28

Episode 173: Our miniseries for Annual Conference...

Microbe Talk ·

2025/04/02

We're in Liverpool this week, hosting our annual conference and meeting our members, collaborators and authors.We know that there will be a lot of exciting conversations, interesting presentations and vital networking opportunities happening all over the and wanted to make sure you could keep the excitement going even after the events of the day have finished.So, across the four days of annual conference we'll be bringing you mini episodes of Microbe Talk, each featuring a presenter from

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14:20

Episode 172: Our miniseries for Annual Conference...

Microbe Talk ·

2025/04/01

We're in Liverpool this week, hosting our annual conference and meeting our members, collaborators and authors.We know that there will be a lot of exciting conversations, interesting presentations and vital networking opportunities happening all over the and wanted to make sure you could keep the excitement going even after the events of the day have finished.So, across the four days of annual conference we'll be bringing you mini episodes of Microbe Talk, each featuring a presenter from

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13:48

Episode 171: Our miniseries for Annual Conference...

Microbe Talk ·

2025/03/31

We're in Liverpool this week, hosting our annual conference and meeting our members, collaborators and authors.We know that there will be a lot of exciting conversations, interesting presentations and vital networking opportunities happening all over the and wanted to make sure you could keep the excitement going even after the events of the day have finished.So, across the four days of annual conference we'll be bringing you mini episodes of Microbe Talk, each featuring a presenter from

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19:07

Episode 170: Microbiome and thermal tolerance: a new...

Microbe Talk ·

2025/02/26

In this episode of Microbe Talk Clare speaks to Judy Li, author on the latest Microbial Primer: Microbiome and thermal tolerance – a new frontier in climate resilience? Clare and Judy chat about the paper, the relatively new field of study and the possible mechanisms of microbes buffering organisms against temperature changes.If you'd like to Judy's paper, published in Microbiology you can do so here. You can also download a full transcript of the podcast on our website.Music:

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12:06

Episode 169: Coccus Pocus A microbiology inspired...

Microbe Talk ·

2025/01/22

In this episode, Adam talks to Dr Georgios Efthimiou from the University of Hull. Georgios has created a nationwide ‘spooky’ short story competition called Coccus Pocus. This project links outreach and Halloween with microbiology. This creative competition has had a clear impact on 12 – 18-year-olds who find the competition a good way to discover an interest in microbiology and have had a lot of fun writing the stories. Join Adam as he learns more about this Microbiology Society-funded

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25:19

Episode 168: Exploring the science of wellness,...

Microbe Talk ·

2025/01/06

For the first episode of Microbe Talk in 2025, we’re bringing you something fascinating and a bit different— non-communicable diseases. In this special episode, Clare chats with Professor John Tregoning, a Professor in Vaccine Immunology, about his new book, 'Live Forever? A Curious Scientist’s Guide to Wellness, Ageing and Death'. Clare and John chat about why he's writing about non-communicable diseases, the processes behind his book and any public engagement advice he'd give to our

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