Ira Blader

Acinetobacter—the bad, the ugly, but also the good! | mSphere Acinetobacter is a bacterial genus with huge metabolic diversity (1), which can be found in many different sources, including animals, humans, plants, soil, and diverse aquatic environments (2, 3). However, the genus is mostly recognized as an opportunistic pathogen and source of hard-to-treat nosocomial infections (4, 5)—the bad and the ugly. Nonetheless, even the most nefarious species of the genus, Acinetobacter baumannii, has a habitat that extends well beyond causing illness in humans and can be found in many hosts or sources (6). Importantly, although not very much known or publicized, some species of the genus can be beneficial for some organisms—the good. Such is the case of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, which is considered a plant growth-promoting bacterium (7–11). In this regard, a recent paper published in this journal shows that A. calcoaceticus can impact the growth of an important staple crop, namely the tomato (12).

#mSphere also published an outstanding commentary on this article by Santiago Castillo-Ramírez and colleagues journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Acinetobacter enrichment shapes composition and function of the bacterial microbiota of field-grown tomato plants | mSphere Tomatoes are at center stage in global food security due to their high nutritional value, widespread cultivation, and versatility. Tomatoes provide essential vitamins and minerals, contribute to diver...

High nutrient veggies like tomatoes make them critical for global food security and thus important to optimize growth and yields. Using metagenomics @bulgarelli-d.bsky.social et al discover a Acinetobacter sp a important part of their rhizosphere. @asm.org #mSphere journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Glad to see that Stefan Diggs is in peak playoff form!

Someone should get grandpa some jello and change his diaper because he’s cranky again

Honestly how can you not root for Sam Darnold?

Mission accomplished

I don’t usually pay attention to the half time show but wow! That was amazing

I mean Lent is starting so when in Rome...

catch fillet and prep a fish fry!

i've come up with the ultimate olympic sport. Winter triatholon. Speed skate to a ice house. Ice fishing and drink 12 pack of beer. dog sled back to start/finish line.

heartbreakingly clear

Expert explains how two unlikely teams landed Super Bowl berths Before the season, both the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots were expected to win only 8.5 games, according to Virginia Tech sport media analytics expert Matthew Zimmerman.

@virginiatech.bsky.social As a Virginia Tech faculty member who has also wondered how the Patriots are in the Super Bowl but the #BuffaloBills aren't , let me add one more explanation ... IT WAS A CATCH!!! news.vt.edu/articles/202...

Peak PI performance.Get lab shitty Dunkin and they're gnawing on 'em and thinking what a great PI they have. Meanwhile said PI is sitting in his car eating Paula's and happy that lab morale can be bought with just cheap ass donuts. And here's evidence, DD (left) vs Paula's (right)

@mikefeigin.bsky.social hahah www.instagram.com/reel/DUTdbdu...

I never thought I'd hear a Republican make a more compelling case for mail-in balloting.

Show off

Anyone surprised?

Alpine dog is not impressed by the measly snowfall here in Virginia

You think it’s easy to NEVER accomplish anything? Take it from me, it’s not as easy as it looks

Oh I don't know.. maybe laying off tens of thousands of the Commonwealth's citizens wasn't particularly well received by the voters?

And it was catch!!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE Katz's Deli. But the idea that a Katz's SuperBox served during a Patriots game would taste as good if it were the Bills playing in the Superbowl is just wrong.

It’s the journey that counts not where we end up

a man wearing a buffalo bills shirt is sitting at a table ALT: a man wearing a buffalo bills shirt is sitting at a table

It could’ve been worse

What’s really horrible is how guarded he is in his comments and he doesnt work there anymore

without blinking, VT would send me to Buffalo for a 7th round pick.

i'll tell you want pisses me off. They had this option sitting in front of them and yet they went with Brady. Explain that

Bills promote OC Joe Brady to head coach on 5-year deal The Bills have promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach on a five-year deal, the team announced Tuesday.

Yeah, it's probably the most underwhelming hire they could've done. On the bright side, we won’t have to cringe if the bills would win a superbowl and get invited to the trump White House www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/...