Cultural heritage objects constitute a very diverse environment, inhabited by various
bacteria and fungi. The impact of these microorganisms on the degradation of artworks is …

Geochemical cycles result in the chemical, physical, and mineralogical modification of rocks,
eventually leading to formation of soil. However, when the stones and rocks are a part of …

Since the mass production of plastics began in the middle of the last century, plastic waste
and its accumulation in the marine environment is an issue of major current concern, with …

Identifying species involved in biodeterioration processes is helpful, however further effort is
needed to assess their ecological requirements and actual activity. Black fungi (BF) …

A holistic perspective on the universe of living microorganisms, their metabolism and
environment, is called systems biology. This framework is a compelling way to diagnose the …

Deterioration and degradation of works of art is of great concern to preserve humankind
heritage. Among categories of degradation, biodeterioration is one of the main destructive …

Living organisms leave traces of DNA in the objects they colonize and contribute to the
microbiome of a given environment. The microbiome of cultural objects is an indicator of …

Microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, algae and fungi, colonize natural building
stones. Bacteria are among the most relevant colonizers, as they impact substrates in …

The advent of omics technologies has greatly improved our understanding of microbial
biology, particularly in the last two decades. The field of microbial biofilms is, however …

Dimension stone is natural rock prepared for building use. It is rapidly colonised by
microorganisms that cause discoloration (mainly cyanobacteria, algae and fungi) and …