Dianne Newman: Bacterial Biofilms: Far More Than a Collection of Germs

This event was digitally recorded and is available for viewing on the Caltech Theater site.

Bacteria are often given an undeserved bad rap, vilified as "germs" and things to be eradicated. This limited perspective unfortunately belies the far greater truth about them: these unicellular organisms are not only essential for our health, but have sustained (and shaped) our environment throughout Earth's history. This talk will give an overview of basic facts everyone should know about bacteria, with an emphasis on their metabolic diversity. Specifically, the fascinating inner workings of bacterial biofilms—communities of cells attached to surfaces in a wide variety of contexts—will be discussed.

Dianne K. Newman is Professor of Geobiology and Environmental Science and Engineering at Caltech, and an Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

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