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Research roundup at MSU-Bozeman (#211)
November 26, 2002 -- by Evelyn Boswell
Deeper meanings
Children's songs like "Ring Around the Rosy" and "Oh Dear! What can the Matter Be?" are more significant than you might think. Herbert Swick, a recent speaker at MSU, said the phrase "Ring Around the Rosy" describes symptoms of the Bubonic Plague. Victims' skin had a ring surrounding a red, rosy area. Posies were used to ward off infection and were stuffed into handkerchiefs or the beaklike mask that doctors wore. "Matter" in the second song refers to the substance with which people were inoculated for smallpox or cowpox. The Bubonic Plague and smallpox had a profound impact on health and other elements of social and cultural life, Swick said.
Tiny survivors
Microorganisms that live in polluted saltwater can be useful to scientists, says Tim Ford, head of the microbiology department at MSU. That's why he studies microbes that live in New Bedford Harbor in Massachusetts. The harbor is an EPA Superfund Site with a long history of contamination from toxic metals and PCBs. Ford, who used to work at Harvard University, wants to see how the microbes respond genetically to the stress of living in a toxic environment. He's also interested in microbial diversity and the effect of contamination further up the food chain. Ford hopes the lessons from New Bedford can be applied someday to Montana's Superfund sites.
Creeping forests
Encroaching forests can force cattle and elk off grasslands and down to creeks where they damage the stream banks. Fire could correct that, says Clayton Marlow of the Range Sciences Department. To test his theories and return fire to its proper role in one area of the Missouri Breaks, Marlow headed a demonstration project at Armells Creek near Roy. Fire crews set a controlled fire that burned 900 acres in 12 hours. The goal was to burn underbrush and small trees while leaving large trees. Tree rings had shown that fires used to occur there naturally every two to 30 years. However, the last fire was 32 years ago, resulting in heavy timber.
Bacteria under glass
Scientists can look at individual bacteria cells under a microscope. But what if the bacteria are part of a slimy community that's sticking to a water pipe? What if it's clinging to a catheter or implant? Jessica Janzen, an MSU senior from Eureka, spent her summer looking for better ways to examine bacteria that adheres to surfaces. Janzen specifically tested stains to see what they said about bacterial communities called biofilms. The stains came from various types of sugar believed to be associated with the gluelike substance that holds bacterial communities together. The sugar may vary with the bacteria involved, said Luanne Hall-Stoodley of MSU's Center for Biofilm Engineering.
Contact: Evelyn Boswell, (406) 994-5135 or evelynb@montana.edu
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