The vessel shapes the microbe

Research cited

1. 5):359-70, doi ↗doi.org

Other sources

1. 5 1 layers of the skin (openstax.org) ↗openstax.org

Images, slide by slide

Slide 1

Hands lift a mask-shaped kombucha culture out of its ceramic vesselPhoto: Nico FritzenschaftMuseum or journal record ↗

Slide 2

Diagram seen from above: a round jar gives a round culture; a face-shaped vessel gives a face-shaped cultureImage: RN Collins studio, code-drawn. Checked against Press kit 2597: people regard the SCOBY as round because of round vessels; its form is shaped by the container; Xu alters each vessel's opening (source lines drawn on the graphic)

Slide 3

Diagram of a vessel of fermenting sweet tea with a thin mat on the surface, labeled: the mat forms where liquid meets air; acetic acid bacteria make it from cellulose; yeasts live in itImage: RN Collins studio, code-drawn. Checked against Reviews: a cellulose-rich pellicle formed by cellulose-producing acetic acid bacteria; consortium dominated by yeasts and acetic acid bacteria; kit: forms at the interface between liquid and air (source lines drawn on the graphic)

Slide 4

A pH scale from 4 to 9 marking a natural skin average of about 4.7, 5.12 with daily washing, and European tap water at about 8Image: RN Collins studio, code-drawn. Checked against Lambers 2006 abstract: N=330; pH 5.12 to 4.93 after 24 h without washing; natural average estimated 4.7; below 5 better barrier; acid pH keeps resident flora attached; tap water about 8 (source lines drawn on the graphic)

Slide 5

Two boxes: she proposes closer contact between people and microbes, from the gut to the skin; she does not claim it is good for or safe on skin, and makes no kombucha health claimImage: RN Collins studio, code-drawn. Checked against Press kit 2597: the mask proposes contact extending toward direct contact with the skin; sheet: no skin-safety or skin-benefit claims on the page (source lines drawn on the graphic)

Ring frame

Jug with the arms of Saxony and Brunswick, Rijksmuseum (BK-NM-9432)Frame: Rijksmuseum, PD, croppedMuseum or journal record ↗