Painting with colorful antibiotics from bacteria: Dr. Vineetha Zacharia

Joyful Microbe

The words bacteria and beauty are not usually associated. But some bacteria make beautiful colors that span the entire rainbow. And one type of bacteria called Streptomyces coelicolor makes an antibiotic with a lovely blue pigment. This blue-colored antibiotic, called actinorhodin, inspired microbiologist Dr. Vineetha Zacharia, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley studying this soil bacterium, to use it like watercolor paint to create art.

So, read on or listen to the podcast episode to learn about her work with Streptomyces coelicolor and how she got into what she calls “Actino Art.”

Topics covered in this episode:

• Streptomyces coelicolor, a colorful bacterium
• Life cycle and cell types
• Antibiotics and other helpful chemicals Streptomyces produce
• Painting with antibiotics
• At-home microbiology activity: Actino Art

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