The field guide
A field guide to metals in microbial life
The mission, audience, scope, and authorship of Microbial Metallomics.
Microbial Metallomics connects the chemistry of metals with microbial physiology, ecology, and host biology. The aim is to make an interdisciplinary literature easier to enter, examine, and use.
For readers who want the source
The guide is for researchers crossing disciplines, students building a foundation, and readers who want to understand what a study actually measured. It offers primers, reviews, essays, original research records, and critical commentary.
The central question: which metal, in which form, in which place, acting on which organism—and supported by what evidence?
What you will find
- Foundations in metallostasis and metal competition.
- Methods for measuring content, location, and chemical form.
- Paper reviews leading back to original sources.
- Critical commentary and open questions with explicit limits.
- Researchers and laboratories across the field.
Publisher and contributor
Karen Pendergrass
Karen Pendergrass is a microbial metallomics researcher, standards architect, and founder of Microbiome Medicine. Her work connects heavy metal exposure, microbial functions, and disease-associated microbiome signatures. She is the architect of the Heavy Metal Index and founder and standards architect of the Institute of Contaminant Standards (ICS). Her profile brings together these affiliations and her research and writing.
These affiliations help readers assess institutional interests alongside the writing. The editorial standards explain the boundary between research interpretation and standards or certification decisions.
Scope and limits
This is a curated educational resource, not a comprehensive evidence synthesis, clinical service, or certification authority. Hypotheses remain open to revision. A researcher profile does not imply that the person advises, reviews, or endorses the site.
Use the evidence guide to distinguish measured results, proposed mechanisms, and broader interpretations. Follow source records for complete methods, supplementary information, and subsequent corrections.
Help make the record better
A supported correction, missing paper, or useful counterexample is a valuable contribution. Prepare a contribution brief, or choose a route in Start here.