– A blog –
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough”
Albert Einstein
The above quote is one of my favourites because it is so essential for science. In this blog, I am simplifying my scientific findings so that you can see what I am investigating, marvel with me in my discoveries and comprehend what it all means for us and our planet, without having to read the complex papers (but please do so if you like).
Visualising the uptake of a complex sugar in gut bacteria
General summary The microorganisms which live in human and animal digestive tracts play a major role in health and nutrition. Why? Well, they have a vast capacity to digest and breakdown the foods we eat (catabolic potential), thereby helping us digest our food and influencing our nutrition. Side note: They also help regulate our immune system,…
Marine Bacteria Can Act Selfishly
In the oceans, single cellular plants (microalgae) fix CO2 and form biomass. This fixed material (marine organic matter) is a mixture of several compounds, including large sugars (polysaccharides). Marine bacteria (heterotrophs) degrade a large amount of the produced organic matter, and this cycling of organic matter is called the microbial loop and is a key…
Dr. Greta Reintjes 