Mike Cashel: magic spot magician

I n July 2025, we lost Mike Cashel, a gifted scientist and critical contributor to the bacterial research community, after a long illness.Through his studies on (p)ppGpp and its modes of action, Mike had a major influence on our understanding of bacterial physiology and how bacteria respond to changes in nutrient availability.It would be hard to overstate his groundbreaking contributions to understanding how cells deal with the loss of nutrients, a fundamental question in biology.Mike was a generous mentor and colleague, and we at the NIH as well as his friends around the world already miss his wisdom, insight, and deep understanding of bacterial physiology.