It's not particularly surprising that coffee machines are sprawling with bacteria. They are warm and moist - bacteria's paradise! But the surprising part: there are caffeine-degrading bacteria in coffee machines. Yes: CAFFEINE. DEGRADING. BACTERIA! Scary, huh? Does that mean I've been drinking decaf all along? How I am supposed to generate love for bacteria if they dare touching my coffee? They should know better than to touch a Ph.D. student's coffee!
Don't touch my coffee!
Some researchers going after the microbiome of everyday-items don't shy away from anything - not even from one of the holiest items in the household: the coffee machine [1]!
It's not particularly surprising that coffee machines are sprawling with bacteria. They are warm and moist - bacteria's paradise! But the surprising part: there are caffeine-degrading bacteria in coffee machines. Yes: CAFFEINE. DEGRADING. BACTERIA! Scary, huh? Does that mean I've been drinking decaf all along? How I am supposed to generate love for bacteria if they dare touching my coffee? They should know better than to touch a Ph.D. student's coffee!
It's not particularly surprising that coffee machines are sprawling with bacteria. They are warm and moist - bacteria's paradise! But the surprising part: there are caffeine-degrading bacteria in coffee machines. Yes: CAFFEINE. DEGRADING. BACTERIA! Scary, huh? Does that mean I've been drinking decaf all along? How I am supposed to generate love for bacteria if they dare touching my coffee? They should know better than to touch a Ph.D. student's coffee!
Intuitive Microbiology
"Disgust is intuitive microbiology"
(Steven Pinker)
We are often nauseated by reports about the bacteria found on household items. Sponges, dishwashers and coffee machines are sprawling with bacteria! News reports
on these findings usually feature a scary headline and then go on to
report that most of the found bacteria are benign, only a select few
could potentially be harmful under certain conditions. But the damage is
done: Bacteria are perceived as disgusting and their mere presence
symbolizes the necessity to clean. But does our intuitive microbiology match the actual microbiology?
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