Category archives: Microbiology

Biogenic amines (BAs) are nitrogenous compounds formed primarily by microbial decarboxylation of amino acids. In food products, they can accumulate to levels that pose health risks, including histamine poisoning and hypertensive crises due to tyramine ingestion . Fermented foods, particularly cheeses, are significant sources of BAs due to their complex microbial consortia and the metabolic […]

Animal cafés are places where customers can enjoy food and drinks while interacting with animals such as cats, rabbits, or dogs. These cafés have become popular in many Asian cities, especially where apartments are small and the cost of living is high, making it difficult for young adults to own pets. In Europe, animal cafés […]

Author: Ignacio López-Goñi, Professor of Microbiology, Universidad de Navarra On March 11 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. According to official data there have been more than 770 million cases of COVID, which have caused over 7 million deaths in 231 countries – almost 2.2 million of them in Europe. Other reports […]

The human oral microbiota is highly diverse and has a complex ecology, including numerous species and strains of bacteria, microeukaryotes, archaea and viruses. This oral microbiome interfaces with the immune system of the human host and has an important role in not only the health of the oral cavity, but in the health of the […]

Author: Ramón Muñoz-Chápuli has been Professor of Animal Biology in the University of Málaga until his retirement. He has investigated for forty years in the fields of developmental biology and animal evolution. On October 11th, I published an article on Mapping Ignorance about the microbial dark matter, the vast diversity of microorganisms that cannot be […]

microbial dark matter Author: Ramón Muñoz-Chápuli has been Professor of Animal Biology in the University of Málaga until his retirement. He has investigated for forty years in the fields of developmental biology and animal evolution. In recent years, single cell genomics and metagenomic studies of environmental samples have enabled insights into “microbial dark matter”, the […]

Mesodinium Author: Ramón Muñoz-Chápuli has been Professor of Animal Biology in the University of Málaga until his retirement. He has investigated for forty years in the fields of developmental biology and animal evolution. The ciliate Mesodinium rubrum acquires phototrophy by ingestion of a photosynthetic cryptomonad. Besides the stolen plastid (derived from a secondary endosymbiotic event […]

Could we feed a city on Mars? This question is central to the future of space exploration and has serious repercussions on Earth too. To date, a lot of thought has gone into how astronauts eat; however, we are only beginning to produce food in space. Space launches are quite expensive. And with the growing […]

Author: Ramón Muñoz-Chápuli has been Professor of Animal Biology in the University of Málaga until his retirement. He has investigated for forty years in the fields of developmental biology and animal evolution. Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite of warm-blooded animals, including humans. After the acute phase of the infection, the parasite remains latent in […]

The biochemical process by which cyanobacteria acquire nutrients from rocks in Chile’s Atacama Desert has inspired engineers to think of new ways microbes might help humans build colonies on the moon and Mars. Researchers used high-resolution electron microscopy and advanced spectroscopic imaging techniques to gain a precise understanding of how microorganisms modify both naturally occurring […]