Listen

Description

Matters Microbial #111: Shocking Tales of Metal-Loving Microbes

October 10, 2025

Today Dr. Jeff Gralnick, Professor of the Department of Plant and Microbial Sciences at the University of Minnesota joins the #QualityQuorum to tell us a shocking story about how his research group studies the relationship between electrons, microbes, and metals.

 

Host: Mark O. Martin

GuestJeff Gralnick

Subscribe: Apple PodcastsSpotify

Become a patron of Matters Microbial!

  • An article about Nobel Prize winner Albert Szent-Györgyi.
  • The Soudan Formation Iron Mine discussed during the podcast.
  • An article on Banded Iron Formations.
  • An article about the Oxygen Crisis early in Earth's history.
  • An overview of the bacterium Shewanella.
  • An overview of the bacterium Geobacter.
  • An overview of microbial redox reactions.
  • The "bacterial battery" we discussed: the Mudwatt.
  • An article on benthic microbial fuel cells.
  • An article on extracellular electron transfer by bacteria.
  • The laboratory of Dr. Daniel Bond at the University of Minnesota, and colleague of Dr. Gralnick's.
  • An essay on microbial nanowires.
  • An essay on cable bacteria, which was the topic of #MattersMicrobial podcast #101 with Dr. Nicole Geerlings.
  • The new field of electromicrobiology.
  • The relationship between Shewanella and fish!  An article by Dr. Gralnick and colleagues on the Shewanella and fish (and bacteriophage) association.
  • The article about Jon Beckwith (by Howard Shuman) discussed in the podcast:  "With Toothpicks and Logic."
  • Dr. Gralnick's faculty website.
  • Dr. Gralnick's laboratory website.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com