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Studying cheese reveals how microbes interact

Microbiologist Rachel Dutton's work focuses on bacterial ecosystems in rinds

selection of cheeses

SAY CHEESE Fungi and bacteria shape the distinctive characters of a wide range of cheeses.

Floortje/iStockphoto

By Tina Hesman Saey

- More than 2 years ago

Rachel Dutton’s research is cheesy, by design. The microbiologist at the University of California, San Diego uses cheese rinds to study how microbes form communities.

Dutton, who has a long-standing interest in how bacteria and other microbes interact, got the inspiration for her studies several years ago while visiting the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass.