Microbiologist Maja Popović refutes decades-old scientific explanation

Maja Popović from the Department of Microbiology at the Biotechnical Faculty in Ljubljana recently refuted a scientific explanation that had been accepted for more than a decade.
How did she arrive at her new findings? How did the authors of the refuted explanation respond?
What does she study and how can her findings be used in practice? Why doesn't she consider working abroad? What does she try to give younger students as their mentor? And last but not least, how did her path from design and photography lead her to science in the first place? Scientist Maja Popović was a guest on Forbes' 30 Under 30 series.