Short Stories of Bacteria

Dr. K

A delightful and informative series that takes us into the incredible world of bacteria, where we hear astounding and incredible true stories that tickle the mind and bring wonder to the spirit.

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20 episodes
Updated Jun 3, 2025

Episodes20

Newest first

Jun 3, 2025 · 10 min
Ep. 86 - Shields Up
Bacteria vs the Sun, and your life hangs in the balance. More today on this episode of SSB. Music by Muzaproduction from Pixabay https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg https://www.jidonline.org/article/S0022-202X(25)00405-1/fulltext
Apr 15, 2025 · 13 min
Ep. 85 - Tiny Ears
Wait, so now you're telling me that bacteria and fungi can listen to me? Sort of...we'll talk about that and more on today's episode. Music by Muzaproduction from Pixabay https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0295 https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/10/1/63 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfs.12856
Mar 25, 2025 · 16 min
Ep. 84 - The Curious Case of the Invincible Bats
Dr. K makes his triumphant return to discuss bats, viruses, and the power of flight. Music by Muzaproduction from Pixabay https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00268-z https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-03128-0
Feb 4, 2025 · 11 min
Ep. 83 - A Conundrum of Cold
Could bacteria help organisms survive the cold? More on today's episode of SSB. Music by Muzaproduction from Pixabay https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adk9117
Jan 21, 2025 · 11 min
Ep. 82 - Big Brain Time
If you can understand this episode, thank your microbiome. :) https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/mgen/10.1099/mgen.0.001322 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2014.0063#d3e1303 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC539636/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3973910/pdf/fnana-08-00015.pdf Music by Muzaproduction from Pixabay https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg
Jan 9, 2025 · 13 min
Ep. 81 - Synchronized Swimmers
New styles of movement for bacteria? Such fascinating! https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smll.202407832 Music by Muzaproduction from Pixabay https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg
Dec 24, 2024 · 10 min
Ep. 80 - Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas from us over here at Short Stories of Bacteria! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452231719300090#s0055 Music by Muzaproduction from Pixabay https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg
Dec 10, 2024 · 17 min
Ep. 79 - The Symbiote
We know the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, but how did it even get there? All this and more in today's episode. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03224-5 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7356350/ Music by Muzaproduction from Pixabay https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg
Nov 26, 2024 · 12 min
Ep. 78 - Bacterial Tracking
Could we use bacteria to track people's movement? We'll talk about this and more on today's episode. https://academic.oup.com/gbe/article/16/11/evae209/7814710 Music by Muzaproduction from Pixabay https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg
Nov 12, 2024 · 15 min
Ep. 77 - Big Chonkus
Another aquatic bacteria? Thank you so much! This one is named Chonkus and has big implications for industry! https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/aem.00841-24 Music by Muzaproduction from Pixabay https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg
Oct 29, 2024 · 15 min
Ep. 76 - Pirates and Bacterial Skullduggery
Allow us to introduce you to an aquatic bacteria that uses grappling hooks and cannons to kill its prey. [Pirate Bacteria Video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpVLBimTx2M&feature=youtu.be https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241017173150.htm dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.adp0614 Music by Muzaproduction from Pixabay https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg
Oct 15, 2024 · 11 min
Ep. 75 - Bacteria Take the Ice Bucket Challenge
In 2014, people took the Ice Bucket Challenge to promote awareness for ALS. But bacteria like cyanobacteria it turns out, did their own cold plunge at a lab in Nashville, TN. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado8588 Music by Muzaproduction from Pixabay https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg
Sep 24, 2024 · 13 min
Ep. 74 - The Microwave Microbiome
Could it be that (horror of horrors), your own microwave has its own microbiome?? https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1395751/full Music by Muzaproduction from Pixabay https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg
Sep 3, 2024 · 11 min
Ep. 73 - Crappy Samples
While fecal transplants represent an exciting leap forward, there still are some issues with it. We'll explore how to remedy these issues in today's episode. Music by Muzaproduction from Pixabay https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240612140911.htm https://www.cell.com/device/fulltext/S2666-9986(24)00242-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2666998624002424%3Fshowall%3Dtrue#secsectitle0080
Aug 20, 2024 · 13 min
Ep. 72 - Hopping Back From The Brink
In a world full of pathogenic fungus, this frog is defying the odds to ward off extinction. Music by Muzaproduction from Pixabay https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg https://www.amphibianark.org/the-crisis/chytrid-fungus/ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07582-y
Aug 13, 2024 · 13 min
Ep. 71 - Do Bacteria Make Us Age
Changes in your microbiome influence the aches and pains we have as we get older! We'll jump into this in today's episode. Music by Muzaproduction from Pixabay https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-023-01502-8 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acel.14190
Aug 6, 2024 · 12 min
Ep. 70 - How A Snail Gets Amnesia
Bacteria as it turns out are pretty good at manipulating brains. We'll see a dramatic example of that in today's episode! Music by Muzaproduction from Pixabay https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6469458/ https://academic.oup.com/ismej/article/18/1/wrae078/7683888
Jul 30, 2024 · 10 min
Ep. 69 - Can bacteria help us beat cancer?
Is there a relationship between our microbiome and cancer therapy? All this and more on today's episode! Music by Muzaproduction from Pixabay https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2017.22938 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aan4236 https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)00538-5?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867424005385%3Fshowall%3Dtrue#%20
Jul 23, 2024 · 12 min
Ep. 68 - Sniffing Out Disease
Scientists are using dogs and rats to help fight disease! Learn out how in this episode! Music by Muzaproduction from Pixabay https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01751-9 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557773/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1472979212001436?via%3Dihub
Jul 16, 2024 · 16 min
Ep. 67 - The Problem With Phages
With all the hubbub around phage therapy, why hasn't this replaced antibiotics entirely? We'll touch on some of the reasons in today's episode.. Music by Muzaproduction from Pixabay https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithdr_k/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EttB4pjdZ4WrU3-z4RqPg https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-024-01705-x https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(21)00612-5/abstract https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3278648/ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01403-9 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02209-0