Airborne microorganisms, also termed bioaerosols, constitute a diverse array of microbes capable of traversing continents and reaching high altitudes. The atmosphere serves as a key vector for their dispersal across distant ecosystems and habitats. Bioaerosols may thus impact global cycles, ecosystems, and health, however, such impacts are underexplored, and further investigation is needed to comprehend their contributions to these different aspects.
In this seminar, our recent findings on the functionality, viability, and pathogenicity of bioaerosols will be presented, including a thorough characterization of airborne marine microbial communities, obtained through comprehensive surveys across oceans. Additionally, I’ll describe the documentation of an aerial infection mechanism observed in oceanic blooms, exploring the potential involvement of the surface microlayer in their emission. Lastly, I will highlight our latest exciting discoveries pertaining to dust-borne microbial interactions and bioactivity.
These studies provide a window to the atmospheric microbial research field, advancing our understanding of how microbial communities impact the Earth system.
Bio:
Dr. Naama Lang Yona has graduated from the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, where she explored airborne microorganisms and their modification by anthropogenic factors.
She did her post-doc at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, supported by the Max Planck Society and the Weizmann Institute Women in Science Award.
She returned to the Weizmann Institute as a senior intern to explore ocean-atmosphere biological interactions.
In 2021, she joined the Technion Israel Institute of technology, studying bioaerosols, their interactions and impacts on the Earth system, and on health. |
