Editorial

Welcome to what is my last issue of Microbiology Today as Editor. I’m excited that Laura Bowater is taking over and I know that she will do great things in taking the magazine forward. Good luck Laura – I’ll look forward to receiving my copy as a reader in the future.

Also, it's great to welcome Benjamin Thompson and Ruth Paget to the SGM team who will be contributing to future issues of Microbiology Today.

I was able to indulge myself in my last issue as Editor with a few articles in recognising one of my scientific heroes – Alfred Russel Wallace. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Alfred R. Wallace, well known amongst biologists and perhaps the wider public for being the co-discoverer of natural selection as the mechanism for evolution of new species. Yet Wallace had great influence more widely in biology and that is often overlooked by people seeking to portray him as a marginalised figure in the discovery of the mechanisms that underpin evolution.

It is well documented that the letter Wallace sent to Darwin from the Malay Archipelago, resulted in Darwin precipitating his thoughts on evolution into what became On the Origin of Species. Wallace worked for many years following the publication of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species to expand the implications of this work leading to greater insights into evolutionary biology and was a staunch supporter of Darwin. Wallace worked extensively on the geographical distribution of animals and plants, drawing on different fields of science to develop theories regarding the constraints of where different species live and why – he is therefore viewed as the father of biogeography. He also extensively studied the adaptation of various species in terms of their interaction with other organisms and their environment, mainly through trying to understand the colouration of animals. Both of these areas are currently receiving a great deal of attention in microbiology (biogeography and microbe–microbe, microbe–host interactions) and it is clear that they have their foundations in the thoughts of Alfred R. Wallace.

So, in this issue I have written about some of the developments in the application of biogeography to microbiology, Christopher van der Gast has written about how microbial biogeography fits within the wider framework of microbial ecology. Last, but by no means least, Paul R. Jensen tells us about how the distribution of different Salinispora species in ocean samples may be the result of horizontal transfer of secondary metabolite biosynthetic clusters, and how the study of these organisms is leading to the discovery of novel and very useful compounds.

We also have a great selection of additional articles. Alan McCarthy and Paul Broda tell us about the achievements of CARA on its 80th anniversary and, in Comment, Ian Jones looks at the emergence of the novel coronavirus that is currently gaining a great deal of interest in the media. Simon Park tells us about the emergence of DIY biology and how this is attracting attention from legislative bodies, and Joanne Needham tells us about some exciting news from the Society of Biology regarding SGM members.

Finally, I’d like to thank all of the SGM staff, Editorial Board members and contributing authors during my time as Editor of Microbiology Today, and also the membership for their kind comments during my tenure – its been a lot of hard work, but mainly, a great deal of fun!

PAUL A. HOSKISSON
Editor
Email: [email protected].