Sunday, January 24, 2016

Recent Study Reveals Role for Bacterial Viruses in Microbiome Evolution

The microbiome is a complex community of bacteria,
viruses, and other microbes.
Microbial communities are fierce battlegrounds between bacteria and other microbes competing for limited resources. One method some bacteria use to kill their competitors is the production of bacteriocins. Bacteriocins are protein toxins produced by bacteria to limit the growth of related bacteria, thereby providing a competitive advantage to the bacteriocin-producing bacteria. This dynamic is important to our health because it can impact bacterial infections and overall microbiome composition. The group of Nedialkova et al recently added a whole new level of insight into bacteriocins and microbial ecology by linking bacteriocin production to the presence of bacteriophages (bacterial viruses).

Sunday, January 17, 2016

A Primer on Linear Regression and its Associated Misconceptions


Welcome to the new year and the first Prophage blog post for 2016! This is already looking like it will be a great year for science and blogging. But enough with the pleasantries, let's dive into some science.