Dr Gabrielle Zammit recently participated in the third European Conference on Biodeterioration of Stone Monuments (ECBSM) at the University of Cergy-Pontoise in Paris. She delivered an oral presentation about ‘Phototrophic biofilm communities and adaptation to growth on ancient archaeological surfaces’.

The research findings explain how microorganisms form living communities called biofilms as a survival strategy on weathered calcareous surfaces. The study shows that over the years, these microorganisms have evolved morphological, ecological and genetic adaptations to this particular environment. The ensuing publication, bearing the same title, has been published in the peer-reviewed journal ‘Annals of Microbiology’, and the online version can be accessed here.

This study was carried out as part of Gabrielle’s postdoctoral research at the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics of the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery. Gabrielle now forms part of the academic staff at the Department of Biology of the Faculty of Science.