TWiM explains how photoferrotrophic bacteria initiated plate tectonics over 2500 million years ago, and how two bacteria work together to cause childhood tooth decay.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson, Petra Levin,

Guest: Mark O. Martin

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Links for this episode

• Bacteria initiated plate tectonics (Geophys Res Lett)
• Medea hypothesis (Sci Am)
• Earth’s ferrous wheel (Nature)
• The Great Dying (Nova)
• The Great Oxidation Event (ASM)
• Banded iron formations (EarthSphere)
• S. sputigena and tooth decay (Nat Comm)
• Acid tolerance mechanisms of S. mutans (Fut. Micro.)
• Halitosis patients' tongue biofilm (Microbiol. Open)
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Music used on TWiM is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to twim@microbe.tv