When you join this project, you‘ll receive an at-home kit to sample the microbes in and on your body. You‘ll then be able to compare your results to others across the world and contribute to our overall understanding of microbial diversity.
The human body is naturally home to many different types of bacteria, but some of those bacteria are linked to diseases and medical concerns. uBiome is a project that uses samples from citizen scientists to better understand the bacteria in our bodies.
The flu and other viruses aren’t just inconvenient, theycan be deadly. That makes the research being done by the GoViral project vital. The project provides you with sampling kits to use whenever you‘re feeling sick, and uses the results to track the spread of viral illnesses.
Many medicines, like penicillin, are derived from natural sources, and scientists need your help to discover new, life-saving compounds. Submit a soil sample from anywhere in the USA, and researchers at the University of Oklahoma will analyze it for beneficial fungi.
Attention Australian citizen scientists! You are needed to collect soil samples in Western Australia, which are then analyzed for the smallest, most fundamental part of an ecosystem- microbial DNA.
Did you participate in Project MERCCURI? Thousands of people submitted microbes from shoes and cell phones and even from NFL stadiums and landmarks! All samples were analyzed and some samples were sent to the International Space Station to compare growth rates in space. Look what we found and learn who won the microbial Super Bowl in Space! And check out this related Educators’ Guide: Microbes in the Classroom
Meet the SciStarter team and the Science Cheerleaders, and do citizen science, at the Cambridge ScienceFestival!April 18 at the Cambridge Public Library!
Don’t miss the monthly #CitSciChat on Twitter: the last Wednesday of the month at 3-4pm ET, moderated by Caren Cooper @CoopSciScoop and presented by @SciStarter.
Arvind Suresh is science communicator and a former laboratory biologist, he has a Master’s degree in Cell Biology and Molecular Physiology from the University of Pittsburgh. He enjoys reading, teaching, talking and writing science. Connect with him on Twitter @suresh_arvind.
