Outlining the Hidden Curriculum: Perspectives on Successfully Navigating Scientific Conferences.

Scientific conferences and meetings are valuable opportunities for researchers to network, communicate, and develop knowledge. For early career scientists, conferences can also be intimidating, confusing, and overwhelming, especially without having adequate preparation or experience. In this Perspective, we provide advice based on previous experiences navigating scientific meetings and conferences.

OpenASAP: An affordable 3D printed atmospheric solids analysis probe (ASAP) mass spectrometry system for direct analysis of solid and liquid samples.

Atmospheric Solids Analysis Probe (ASAP) mass spectrometry is a versatile technique allowing direct sampling of solid and liquid samples, but its adoption is limited due to the high cost of commercial ASAP systems. To address this, we present OpenASAP, an open-source ASAP system for mass spectrometers that can be fabricated for $20 or less using 3D-printing. Our design is readily adaptable to instruments from different manufacturers and can be produced with a variety of additive manufacturing techniques on consumer-grade 3D-printers.

Overcoming Obstacles to Gene-Edited Solutions to Climate Challenges.

Gene editing and genetic modification hold enormous potential to deliver solutions to multiple climate change challenges. The most important rate-limiting obstacles impeding their development and deployment are not technical, but rather counterproductive policies and regulations. These are driven in part by the mistaken apprehension of widespread public opposition.

Genomic and phenotypic characterization of a red-pigmented strain of isolated from an Antarctic microbial mat.

The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica experience a range of selective pressures, including extreme seasonal variation in temperature, water and nutrient availability, and UV radiation. Microbial mats in this ecosystem harbor dense concentrations of biomass in an otherwise desolate environment. Microbial inhabitants must mitigate these selective pressures specialized enzymes, changes to the cellular envelope, and the production of secondary metabolites, such as pigments and osmoprotectants.

Isolation and Genome Analysis of an Amoeba-Associated Bacterium Strain Ely Copper Mine From Acid Rock Drainage in Vermont, United States.

Protozoa play important roles in microbial communities, regulating populations predation and contributing to nutrient cycling. While amoebae have been identified in acid rock drainage (ARD) systems, our understanding of their symbioses in these extreme environments is limited. Here, we report the first isolation of the amoeba from an ARD environment as well as the genome sequence and annotation of an associated bacterium, strain Ely Copper Mine, from Ely Brook at the Ely Copper Mine Superfund site in Vershire, Vermont, United States.