Microbiologist Dan Buckley joins WIRED to answer the internet’s burning questions about microbiology. What’s the fastest known bacteria? Is the zombie fungi from “The Last Of Us” realistic? Why is cat poop is dangerous for pregnant people? How did metal-eating bacteria come about? How does horizontal gene transfer work? What microbes should we be most concerned about? Dan Buckley answers these questions and many more await on WIRED Microbiology Support.
Director: Lisandro Perez-Rey
Director of Photography: Kevin Dynia
Editor: Richard Trammell
Expert: Dan Buckley
Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi
Associate Producer: Paul Gulyas; Brandon White
Production Manager: Peter Brunette
Production Coordinator: Rhyan Lark
Casting Producer: Nicholas Sawyer
Camera Operator: Christopher Eusteche
Sound Mixer: Gabe Quiroga
Production Assistant: Cerina Shippey
Post Production Supervisor: Christian Olguin
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen
Additional Editor: Jason Malizia
Assistant Editor: Billy Ward
0:00 Microbiology Support
0:13 Brain-eating amoebas?
0:59 Flatulence and gut health
2:27 The Dancing Pinhead Microbes
2:46 Are we human or are we microbe?
3:27 The fastest bacteria
4:15 Predatory bacteria
5:17 Bacteria on the move
6:31 The Last Of Us fungi: Real or No
7:26 The microbe that scares this expert the most
8:18 Metal eating bacteria
9:23 Antibiotic-resistant bacteria
10:55 Microwaves and bacteria
11:59 Extremophiles
12:58 Bacteria vs. Virus vs. Fungus
13:50 Magnet bacteria, how do they work?
14:57 Subway poles and you: Partners in cleanliness
16:30 We Love Tardigrades
17:03 Why cat poop is dangerous for pregnant people
18:01 [Romantic Music playing]
18:28 Horizontal gene transfer
19:29 The biggest bacteria
19:54 Gut creature cravings
20:48 Fecal transplants, sure
21:56 What is it that you do here
22:41 Martian microbes
23:42 Phone screens vs toilets
24:35 Beneficial microbes
25:33 …knowing what they know
26:20 Unanswered questions about microbes
27:23 Do bacteria mostly smell the same?
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@bryanquick3349
September 17, 2024 at 8:07 pm
This cat’s actual Egon haircut is an inspiration. He realized that he literally did collect molds, bacteria and fungi and knew what he had to do
@msjanicen
September 17, 2024 at 8:16 pm
I thought the head of a pin was the not-pointy end… Very fun watch!
@shakeyj4523
September 17, 2024 at 8:20 pm
The head of a pin is the other end. LOL That was the tip.
@frantastika
September 17, 2024 at 8:27 pm
Fascinating! thank you so much 🙂
@johnrigler8858
September 17, 2024 at 8:27 pm
I had to quit teaching because my students made me feel like I was infected with brain-eating amoebae!
@trevorwilliams5687
September 17, 2024 at 8:29 pm
The “head of a pin” is the BLUNT end, so surely the answer should be something like 10e9 (a billion) dancing bacterial cells, shouldn’t it?
@magstheonlyone
September 17, 2024 at 8:38 pm
In essence, we are just a bunch of cells fighting another group of cells until we die
@patrickkillian1072
September 17, 2024 at 8:42 pm
He doesn’t know the difference between the head of a pin and the point of a pin?
@mother722
September 17, 2024 at 8:45 pm
Thanks for the ridiculous amount of ads
@Killem-Dafoe
September 17, 2024 at 8:46 pm
This guy is probably a blast at parties
@lowbudgetmic
September 17, 2024 at 8:52 pm
Bio intro 😎😮🤔💛🍑🌎
@michaelcollins701
September 17, 2024 at 8:55 pm
Bro just ended the evolutionary debate forever. O2 producing bacteria came first. Life could never be possible if it wasn’t for cyanobacteria.
@THEchiQ
September 17, 2024 at 8:56 pm
The head of a pin is around a square millimetre. He’s talking about the wrong end.
@caseystyer2996
September 17, 2024 at 9:06 pm
Tell us about the bacteria that poops gold
@Stunnaz84
September 17, 2024 at 9:17 pm
I don’t think I needed to know about fecal transplant, that would be a blender a brand new blender that will be getting thrown away lol omfg
@platynowa
September 17, 2024 at 9:22 pm
Toxoplasma is quite rare now.
@BertheCooper
September 17, 2024 at 9:25 pm
Wow, I’m impressed with this video! Talk about Cryptonica in your next one, I’ve been providing liquidity for several months and everything is great. I’m interested in your opinion.
@MariaBianci
September 17, 2024 at 9:25 pm
Interesting video, could you talk about the crypto ATM industry in your next one? Take Cryptonica as an example, it’s worth your viewers’ attention.
@TheklaHovell
September 17, 2024 at 9:25 pm
Google Cryptonica, they install crypto atms and have a cryptonica liquidity pool with stable profits. You can really make money on your crypto with them.
@VilmaAtonia
September 17, 2024 at 9:25 pm
With Cryptonica I’ve already earned several thousand dollars in just a month, their ATMs rock! Talk about this in the next video, give people a chance to earn
@TaeerBrown
September 17, 2024 at 9:25 pm
Hey, has anyone here tried or knows about Cryptonica? Everyone on Twitter is buzzing about the Cryptonica Liquidity Pool.
@MuhammedFesahaye
September 17, 2024 at 9:25 pm
Yeah….. it seems not everyone’s up to speed on Cryptonica! I’m surprised reading your comments. Just check out the news and do a simple Google search
@KendrickSkye
September 17, 2024 at 9:25 pm
In 2024, Cryptonica Liquidity Pool is the real MVP, flipping those crypto wallet L’s into major gains. Dive into the alpha move of the year and let your digital dough stack up.
@YoshitoKochi
September 17, 2024 at 9:25 pm
Bro, better talk about something that really works. I’ve been saying for a year now that you can add crypto in the Cryptonica liquidity pool and gain with no pain
@FalitoLeichhardt
September 17, 2024 at 9:25 pm
I don’t know, guys, with Cryptonica I have a stable income and I don’t worry about the crypto rate. Google Cryptonica ATM. Worth mentioning
@jd83241
September 18, 2024 at 1:00 pm
while it cant infect humans in this way, it could be engineered to bypass its own normal function making the scenario in the last of us possible.
@rishavjain5087
September 18, 2024 at 1:01 pm
Geosmin is a beautiful name❤
@hawkins347
September 18, 2024 at 1:07 pm
8:20 I’ll be damned, zurks are real
@myuniemew
September 18, 2024 at 1:24 pm
22:41 Martian abiogenesis…
@ML-qj7eb
September 18, 2024 at 2:10 pm
bro I learned more in this video than in a whole year in biology.
@prdoyle
September 18, 2024 at 2:43 pm
2:36 He’s talking about the point of the pin. The head of the pin is the other end.
@jerrywood4508
September 18, 2024 at 2:44 pm
I found this fascinating, but I wish he hadn’t anthropomorphized the micro-organisms. People get weird ideas about non-sentient things by thinking that something ‘wants’ or is ‘trying.’
@julietfreeman3392
September 18, 2024 at 3:27 pm
Third secret Green brother
@George1789
September 18, 2024 at 3:39 pm
I never cared about microbiology until I got into the aquarium hobby. All hail microbes bc if someone washes my filter with tap water I will cry hahah
@Taithland
September 18, 2024 at 3:56 pm
Thank you Trump for pushing operation warp speed and to the microbiologist that were part of that operation to get us that vaccine.
@Calibz
September 18, 2024 at 4:09 pm
Why would they not ask him about probiotics….too controversial for WIRED?
@francescopessina9400
September 18, 2024 at 4:21 pm
6:30 thumbnail question
@roberthill724
September 18, 2024 at 4:23 pm
The “head of a pin” is not the pointy side.
@arrowhead4229
September 18, 2024 at 4:53 pm
Thought i was getting rick rolled at first glance
@shaggycan
September 18, 2024 at 5:05 pm
Discovering flatulence was flammable was the single funniest discovery of my entire life. I was literally in pain the next day because I laughed so hard.
@shaggycan
September 18, 2024 at 5:18 pm
Pretty much any process in the universe can be reduced to the movement of electrons to be fair.
@VanishingPoint.
September 18, 2024 at 5:28 pm
He put on a decent presentation. I feel he was verbose & tried to connect to the audience.
@NekoMouser
September 18, 2024 at 5:42 pm
I assume it’s been pointed out that the head of the pin is not the pointy end, but the other, larger side that you push on or strike to push the pin in?
@I.Fumblebee.I
September 18, 2024 at 5:56 pm
Gyosmin? Giosmin whatever it’s written like. Is it petrichor? I thought that smell was petrichor
@neonloneliness1
September 18, 2024 at 6:05 pm
love how he called non-pandemic times “off season” for microbiologists🙂
ALSO HE REMINDS ME SO MUCH OF HANK GREEN!!!
@ExhaustedOwl
September 18, 2024 at 6:48 pm
New Zealand has a natural hot spring called “Kerosene Creek”. Living in that water is naegleria fowleri, brain eating amoeba. Despite that, people swim in it all the time – they just keep their head above water.
@OrrBiologicals
September 18, 2024 at 8:50 pm
I love mcirobiology
@OrrBiologicals
September 18, 2024 at 9:02 pm
Mesophiles
@steph_dreams_
September 18, 2024 at 9:10 pm
Haven’t finished but the explanation of antibiotic evolution was way over simplified to the degree of being completely wrong- maybe combat and competition began as a primary driver of antibiotics, but very quickly it became used as communication and to identify and coordinate interspecies communities of bacteria and other microbes
@Opalgal
September 18, 2024 at 9:17 pm
Amazing video! Dr. Buckley and Hank Green sound so similar! I thought this was Hank at first before I saw it wasn’t him haha