The Cohan Laboratory

Beneficial microorganisms for corals (and humans). Here is a blog by my student Samantha Zuniga-Levy (Wesleyan ’19) on a paper by Raquel Peixoto et al.

Beneficial Microorganisms in Humans and Corals – Cohan Lab What do you do when you’re having digestive issues? Assuming of course, that these issues are ongoing and not simply the result of some questionable fast food you ate last night, you might consider taking probiotics. Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms that, when ingested by humans, can help pr...

A spectrum from slowly diversifying, cohesive species of phototrophs and C1-trophs to quickly diversifying, non-cohesive species of generalist heterotrophs. Where do pathogens fit in?
A chapter by Sarah Kopac and me in Michel Tibayrenc’s Genetics and Evolution of Infectious Diseases, 2nd ed.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780127999425000020
Ask for a pdf, if you like.

A Theory-Based Pragmatism for Discovering and Classifying Newly Divergent Species of Bacterial Pathogens - Genetics and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (Second Edition) - 2 Bacterial systematics has integrated an increasing diversity of phenotypic and molecular characteristics into the demarcation of bacterial species. Most species recognized in taxonomy of bacteria are extremely diverse in physiology, genome content, and ecology. This chapter proposes a universal appr...

Our lab's recent soil-collecting expedition to Death Valley is featured this week on Wesleyan's home page. http://newsletter.blogs.wesleyan.edu/2017/06/19/biology-team-samples-drought-tolerant-bacteria-in-death-valley/?gaclick=featured

Biology Team Samples Drought-Tolerant Bacteria in Death Valley

Much of the carbon stored in soil takes so long to break down and release into the atmosphere that its potential impact on global warming may go unnoticed. But a recent study showed that when soil temperatures increase, so does the ability of soil microbes to break down and release this carbon, creating yet another vicious positive feedback in climate change. A blog by my student Isaac Klimasmith, Wes '20.
http://cohanlab.research.wesleyan.edu/2017/05/04/a-warning-from-the-steppe/

When you bite into a PB&J, you're eating much more than peanut butter, jelly, and bread. In between those two slices of bread is the complex history of American food habits and science, involving everything from bacteria to to***co plantations to lessons for the future of agriculture. A blog from my student Isaac Klimasmith, Wes '20.
http://cohanlab.research.wesleyan.edu/2017/05/01/a-brief-history-of-the-monoculture-and-jelly-sandwich/

cohanlab.research.wesleyan.edu

My March for Science address in Hartford.
We should worry about global warming like it's the Plague.
http://cohanlab.research.wesleyan.edu/2017/05/04/freds-march-for-science-address/

Fred’s March for Science address – Cohan Lab On this Earth Day, many of us can recall a time, decades ago, when our country broadly supported protection of the Earth. We were motivated partly by human health—based on the science of health dangers from air and water pollution, we passed the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, both with stron...

If you're reading this post, chances are good that you feel secure in belonging to your phylum, Chordata. But that's not the case for a strain of bacteria from a remote Pacific Island, classified into the wrong phylum. Researchers recently discovered that this strain represents a new phylum, adding yet another branch to the vast tree of bacterial diversity and bringing to light exciting questions about how such disparately different organisms arise and persist.

A blog by Isaac Klimasmith, Wesleyan ‘20
http://cohanlab.research.wesleyan.edu/2017/04/01/kiritimatiellaeota-a-case-of-identity/

Kiritimatiellaeota: A Case of Identity – Cohan Lab

Some bacteria defend plants against threats ranging from drought to disease. These Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria, as they are called, may have an important role in agriculture as the climate warms. Intrigued? Learn about Pantoea alhagi, a newly developed species of PGP bacteria and how it might help feed the world, in a new blog by Sam Zuniga-Levy, Wesleyan '19.
http://cohanlab.research.wesleyan.edu/2017/04/01/meet-pantoea-alhagi-wheats-microbial-helper/

Meet Pantoea alhagi, Wheat’s Microbial Helper – Cohan Lab What is the connection between the recent conflict in Syria and a new scientific study involving bacteria that promote plant health? Two words: climate change. According to a

A thoughtful piece to persuade those on the fence about global warming, by my student Langston Lynch, Wesleyan ‘20
http://tinyurl.com/lvpdvuo

Global Warming: Fact or Fiction? The Ultimate Heated Debate – Cohan Lab

It’s not just our personalities that make us special. Colonization resistance of gut microbiota differs among individuals, too. Interesting new data on how the resident bacteria determine who stays and who leaves.

Blog by Isaac Klimasmith, Wes '20

http://cohanlab.research.wesleyan.edu/2016/12/07/no-bacterium-is-an-island/

No Bacterium is an Island – Cohan Lab No Bacterium is an Island December 7, 2016 by Oliver By Isaac Klimasmith ’20 When John Donne proclaimed that “no man is an island”(1), he recognized the connections that bind humanity together. But just as people function socially and spiritually in a world defined by interaction and connection, s...

A new technology for scrubbing smokestack exhaust of CO2 and producing biofuel

Blog by Sam Zuniga-Levy, Wes '19

http://cohanlab.research.wesleyan.edu/2016/12/07/bacterial-conversion-of-co2-to-lipids-a-sustainable-fuel-source/

Bacterial Conversion of CO2 to Lipids: A Sustainable Fuel Source – Cohan Lab Bacterial Conversion of CO2 to Lipids: A Sustainable Fuel Source December 7, 2016December 7, 2016 by Oliver by Sam Zuniga-Levy ’19 As fossil fuel reserves decline while atmospheric CO2 levels rise, the search for methods of obtaining sustainable sources of energy continually attracts the spotlight.…

Predatory bacteria can prey on other bacteria for nutrients in a number of diverse ways. One species hunts in packs, while another attaches to the outside of a prey cell to suck out its nutrients. These bacteria could also have important biomedical and national security functions, as they have been suggested for use as an alternative to modern-day antibiotics.

Read more in Hannah Steinberg's (Wesleyan '16) new blog post!

“Wolf Pack” and “Vampire” Bacteria: The Secret Life of Predatory Microbes | Cohan Lab “Wolf Pack” and “Vampire” Bacteria: The Secret Life of Predatory Microbes March 4, 2016March 7, 2016 by Oliver By Hannah Steinberg ’16 Have you ever wondered what bacteria eat? The answer to this question is as diverse as the bacterial kingdom itself. Bacterial species absorb nutrients from their su…