Michael Lynch, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Mechanisms of Evolution at Arizona State University and Vaughn Cooper, Ph.D., professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, examine the origins and trajectory of early microbial life (EML) and discuss the collaborative report between the American Academy of Microbiology and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which explores the journey of life on Earth, from non-living chemical compounds to early unicellular life, to the vast diversity of organisms we see today.

This episode is brought to you by the American Academy of Microbiology, a think tank at American Society for Microbiology and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which has been dedicated to advancing scientific discovery for the past 25 years.

• Project Report Early Microbial Life: Our Past, Present and Future.
• Article: The Great Oxidation Event: How Cyanobacteria Changed Life.
• MTM Podcast: From Hydrothermal Vents to Cold Seeps: How Bacteria Sustain Ocean Life With Nicole Dubilier.
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Sally Bornbusch, Ph.D., is an NSF postdoctoral fellow in biology conducting microbial ecology research in animal care and conservation at the Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. She discusses how FMTs are being used to mitigate health concerns in wild animals in captivity, shares key findings about the milk microbiome from the Smithsonian milk repository, the largest collection of exotic animal milks in the world, and explains the science behind eating poo (Coprophagia).

• Why Do Animals Eat Poop? (And Why It Might Be a Good Thing).
• Faeces as food: a framework for adaptive nutritional coprophagy in vertebrates.
• Even Monkeys Should Eat Their Vegetables.
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Dev Mittar, Ph.D., Scientific Director of the ASM Health Scientific Unit discusses the use of metagenomic next generation sequencing to develop agnostic diagnostic technology, giving scientists and clinicians alike, a tool to diagnose any infectious disease with one single test. He also discusses how the ASM Health Unit is empowering scientists and leveraging microbial science innovations to address critical global health challenges and improve lives worldwide.

• The Division of Research, Innovation and Ventures is a small entrepreneurial arm of BARDA that takes on early-stage projects with high potential of turning into medical countermeasures.
• Prior to his role as Scientific Director for ASM Health, Mittar worked as a health scientist and program officer at DRIVe, where he focused on advancing high-impact science.
• He is particularly passionate about his work to develop agnostic diagnostics—a single test that uses metagenomic next generation sequencing to identify any pathogen from 1 clinical sample.
• Mittar discusses applications for this technology in surveillance (pandemic preparedness), variant detection, AMR and clinical settings (diagnosing complicated infections where etiology is not clearly defined).
• He also shares how a recent bout with illness emphasized the value and potential of this technology to save money, time, pain and suffering of the patient.
• Agnostic diagnostics can also help prevent the overuse/misuse of antibiotics, which are key factors in the spread of antimicrobial resistance.
• Furthermore, when this technology is coupled with the use of metatranscriptomics, it can provide information about the patient’s immune profile that can be helpful in developing personalized treatment strategies, as opposed to a one-size-fits-all approach.
• ASM is organizing around 3 scientific units, ASM Health, ASM Mechanism Discovery and ASM Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
• These units will empower researchers and scientists to use science make a difference in the world and provide a forum for them to come together to shape the future of the field.

• Learn More About ASM’s Scientific Units.
• Join the Conversation on ASM Connect, our online community platform.
• Browse Volunteer Opportunities.
• Become an ASM Member.
• Register for ASM Microbe 2025.