019 - NatSci News Rewind January 2021 Transcript

You're listening to NatSci News Rewind a podcast that looks back at the monthly news headlines in the world of NatSci. Let's take a look back at the news for the month of January 2021.

Reaping FRIB's isotopes to sow new science
A new four-year, $13 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science is helping the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at MSU harvest unused isotopes for a variety of research fields, including medicine, materials science and environmental studies.

MSU scientists conduct largest freshwater insect census in U.S.
Researchers in MSU's College of Natural Science have completed the largest census of freshwater insects ever undertaken in the United States, the first of its kind. The database was presented in a paper recently published in the journal Global Ecology & Biogeography.

Septic science key to cleaner water
Contaminant runoff from Michigan septic systems, agriculture and industry has caused enough environmental damage in the Saginaw Bay watershed for it to be designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as an area of concern for the past 30 years. To address this issue, MSU geomicrobiologist Matt Schrenk is leading  a 2-year Michigan Sea Grant project that will combine high resolution microbiology and geochemical studies to pinpoint the toxic leaks—a big step toward successful remediation efforts by state and local agencies.

How 'Iron Man' bacteria could help protect the environment
Michigan State University researchers, lead by microbiologist Gemma Reguera, show how microbes stand up to a toxic metal, opening the door for applications in recycling and remediation. Their results were recently published in the journal, Frontiers in Microbiology.

And that will wrap up the rewind for the month of January 2021. To read more about these stories, head on over to our website at natsci.msu.edu/news. You can also stay up to date by following us on social. You can find us on Twitter @msu_natsci, on Facebook @MSUCNS, and on Instagram @msunatsci. Thanks for tuning in and be sure to check us out next month.