Lessons from Microbes: What Can We Learn about Equity from Unculturable Bacteria?
ABSTRACT Many microbiologists exhibit a fascination with unculturable bacteria. This intrigue can be expressed through curiosity about nutrient needs, as well as about parameters such as optimal temperature, oxygen levels, minimum and optimal light, or other such environmental factors. Microbiologis...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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American Society for Microbiology
2020-10-01
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| Series: | mSphere |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mSphere.01046-20 |
| _version_ | 1818856758359097344 |
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| author | Beronda L. Montgomery |
| author_facet | Beronda L. Montgomery |
| author_sort | Beronda L. Montgomery |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Many microbiologists exhibit a fascination with unculturable bacteria. This intrigue can be expressed through curiosity about nutrient needs, as well as about parameters such as optimal temperature, oxygen levels, minimum and optimal light, or other such environmental factors. Microbiologists study organisms’ genetic language, as well as their environment of origin, for clues about essential factors or organisms’ need for coculture to support growth and thriving. We can learn many lessons about equity and stewardship-based engagement from the ways that microbiologists seek to understand how to cultivate unculturable bacteria, including the importance of understanding an organism’s language and community, replicating aspects of the environment of origin, an organism’s occasional need to transform aspects of its environment to persist, and the critical needs to provide a range of culture conditions to support diverse organisms. These lessons from the bacterial world provide guidance applicable to addressing human inequity in scientific communities, and beyond. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T08:29:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5a5994af588a4881962c374053866424 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2379-5042 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T08:29:35Z |
| publishDate | 2020-10-01 |
| publisher | American Society for Microbiology |
| record_format | Article |
| series | mSphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-5a5994af588a4881962c3740538664242022-12-21T20:29:13ZengAmerican Society for MicrobiologymSphere2379-50422020-10-015510.1128/mSphere.01046-20Lessons from Microbes: What Can We Learn about Equity from Unculturable Bacteria?Beronda L. Montgomery0Department of Energy—Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USAABSTRACT Many microbiologists exhibit a fascination with unculturable bacteria. This intrigue can be expressed through curiosity about nutrient needs, as well as about parameters such as optimal temperature, oxygen levels, minimum and optimal light, or other such environmental factors. Microbiologists study organisms’ genetic language, as well as their environment of origin, for clues about essential factors or organisms’ need for coculture to support growth and thriving. We can learn many lessons about equity and stewardship-based engagement from the ways that microbiologists seek to understand how to cultivate unculturable bacteria, including the importance of understanding an organism’s language and community, replicating aspects of the environment of origin, an organism’s occasional need to transform aspects of its environment to persist, and the critical needs to provide a range of culture conditions to support diverse organisms. These lessons from the bacterial world provide guidance applicable to addressing human inequity in scientific communities, and beyond.https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mSphere.01046-20bacterial cultureequityinclusionmicrobiology |
| spellingShingle | Beronda L. Montgomery Lessons from Microbes: What Can We Learn about Equity from Unculturable Bacteria? mSphere bacterial culture equity inclusion microbiology |
| title | Lessons from Microbes: What Can We Learn about Equity from Unculturable Bacteria? |
| title_full | Lessons from Microbes: What Can We Learn about Equity from Unculturable Bacteria? |
| title_fullStr | Lessons from Microbes: What Can We Learn about Equity from Unculturable Bacteria? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Lessons from Microbes: What Can We Learn about Equity from Unculturable Bacteria? |
| title_short | Lessons from Microbes: What Can We Learn about Equity from Unculturable Bacteria? |
| title_sort | lessons from microbes what can we learn about equity from unculturable bacteria |
| topic | bacterial culture equity inclusion microbiology |
| url | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mSphere.01046-20 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT berondalmontgomery lessonsfrommicrobeswhatcanwelearnaboutequityfromunculturablebacteria |