291: Biogeography of Tectonics and Teeth

This Week in Microbiology

TWiM explains how photoferrotrophic bacteria initiated plate tectonics over 2500 million years ago, and how two bacteria work together to cause childhood tooth decay.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson, Petra Levin, Guest: Mark O. Martin Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Android, RSS, or by email.

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Links for this episode

• Bacteria initiated plate tectonics (Geophys Res Lett)
• Medea hypothesis (Sci Am)
• Earth’s ferrous wheel (Nature)
• The Great Dying (Nova)
• The Great Oxidation Event (ASM)
• Banded iron formations (EarthSphere)
• S. sputigena and tooth decay (Nat Comm)
• Acid tolerance mechanisms of S. mutans (Fut. Micro.)
• Halitosis patients' tongue biofilm (Microbiol. Open)
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Music used on TWiM is by Ronald Jenkees

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