Hope everyone has been enjoying their 2026 so far. I have the big news that the BCRA seminar series kicks off on the 12th Jan at 19.30 - 21.00 with Jo White giving a talk on her PhD in biofilms. For those of you who were at Hidden Earth you may remember just how packed the room for her talk was so it promises to be a great talk with lots to learn about these interesting microbiological colonies.
Once upon a slime: snottites and biofilms in neutral mine drainage environments in
Derbyshire
Snottites resemble stalactites composed of jelly-like microbial biofilms. They are
traditionally defined as living in highly acidic environments (pH 0-1). However, Derbyshire
mine drainage adits (soughs) are pH neutral. To discuss snottites from these environments
required a redefinition of snottites to include a wider range of pH environments. I therefore
developed 3 models of snottite formation to work towards a broader definition of snottites.
Snottites and other biofilms from pH neutral environments are also largely unstudied. My
PhD research focused on examining the microbial populations of pH neutral mine drainage
environments, and their survival mechanisms. Using a combination of geochemical and
microbiological data I constructed metabolic cycles which suggest the processes that
microbial communities are using to survive in these nutrient-poor environments.
Once upon a slime: snottites and biofilms in neutral mine drainage environments in
Derbyshire
Snottites resemble stalactites composed of jelly-like microbial biofilms. They are
traditionally defined as living in highly acidic environments (pH 0-1). However, Derbyshire
mine drainage adits (soughs) are pH neutral. To discuss snottites from these environments
required a redefinition of snottites to include a wider range of pH environments. I therefore
developed 3 models of snottite formation to work towards a broader definition of snottites.
Snottites and other biofilms from pH neutral environments are also largely unstudied. My
PhD research focused on examining the microbial populations of pH neutral mine drainage
environments, and their survival mechanisms. Using a combination of geochemical and
microbiological data I constructed metabolic cycles which suggest the processes that
microbial communities are using to survive in these nutrient-poor environments.
