Bioindicator "fingerprints" of methane-emitting thermokarst features in Alaskan soils.

Permafrost thaw increases the bioavailability of ancient organic matter, facilitating microbial metabolism of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon dioxide, and methane (CH). The formation of thermokarst (thaw) lakes in icy, organic-rich Yedoma permafrost leads to high CH emissions, and subsurface microbes that have the potential to be biogeochemical drivers of organic carbon turnover in these systems. However, to better characterize and quantify rates of permafrost changes, methods that further clarify the relationship between subsurface biogeochemical processes and microbial dynamics are needed.

Biotic countermeasures that rescue from a infection.

The natural assemblage of a symbiotic bacterial microbiome (bacteriome) with microalgae in marine ecosystems is now being investigated as a means to increase algal productivity for industry. When algae are grown in open pond settings, biological contamination causes an estimated 30% loss of the algal crop. Therefore, new crop protection strategies that do not disrupt the native algal bacteriome are needed to produce reliable, high-yield algal biomass.

Singleplex, multiplex and pooled sample real-time RT-PCR assays for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in an occupational medicine setting.

For workplaces which cannot operate as telework or remotely, there is a critical need for routine occupational SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing. Although diagnostic tests including the CDC 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel (CDC Diagnostic Panel) (EUA200001) were made available early in the pandemic, resource scarcity and high demand for reagents and equipment necessitated priority of symptomatic patients. There is a clearly defined need for flexible testing methodologies and strategies with rapid turnaround of results for (1) symptomatic, (2) asymptomatic with high-risk exposures and (3) asymptomatic populations without preexisting conditions for routine screening to address the needs of an on-site work force.

Thermophilic fungi in an aridland ecosystem.

We report a comprehensive multi-year study of thermophilic fungi at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in central New Mexico. Recovery of thermophilic fungi from soils showed seasonal fluctuations, with greater abundance correlating with spring and summer precipitation peaks. In addition to grassland soils, we obtained and characterized isolates from grassland and riparian litter, herbivore dung and biological soil crusts.