Small Things Considered

About Our Talmudic Questions

by Elio

Source.

We have now posted Talmudic Question #50, so this may be a time to reflect on this endeavor. True to our intent, these have been questions that have no definitive answers but most of the responses offered thoughtful conjectures. The pleasure resides in contemplating the question. What deeper meaning lies therein?

As an aside, the question “how many angels can dance on the head of a pin” may sound Talmudic but actually has a totally different origin, as discussed here.

The source of these Talmudic Questions? Notably, about one quarter were submitted by aficionados among our readers, and we are mighty glad for it. Those are among the very best. The rest arose from an inventory of questions carried along through the years, or that popped up at night during moments of wakefulness. As always, we have several more waiting in the wings. The well seems inexhaustible.

We hope that you enjoy this exercise and that you will share your answers with us. Better yet, consider sending us your own Talmudic questions. We know that there is at least one taking shape in each of you.

Talmudic Question #50

What do you think are the most interesting questions in present day microbiology?

Talmudic Question #49

by Ian Booth

Do bacteria ever take up intact RNA molecules?

Talmudic Question #48

Can you think of an example of an intact protein molecule being taken up by a free-living bacterium?

We jumped the gun and departed from the usual format by sending this question in advance to a few people. This netted us some intriguing thoughts from Jon Beckwith, Winfried Boos, Ian, Booth, and Andrew Wright, plus notes from a few others who told us they couldn't come up with much. Now it's your turn. Please don’t be deterred from adding your ideas and comments.

Here’s what we have so far:

Talmudic Question #47

My microbiome and I are in balance and harmony, which seems miraculous. I wish you the same regularity. Here's a thorny question that arises. We know that our bacteria communicate with our body, but what do we know about what our body tells our bacteria?

Talmudic Question #46

by Daniel Portnoy

Why don't mammals make antibiotics of the type so readily made by bacteria and fungi?

Talmudic Question #45

What do you think are the most interesting unsolved questions in E. coli and Salmonella research?

Talmudic Question #44

by Welkin Johnson

It is possible that some viruses evolved from free living organisms, shedding their independent functions on the path to becoming "obligatory intracellular parasites." What minimal steps would be absolutely essential for this process to work in reverse, for a virus to slip the surly bonds of the cell and become an autonomously replicating unit?

Talmudic Question #43

by Mark Martin

How might the botulism bacillus, Clostridium botulinum, benefit from making botulinum toxin? (This question can be extended to the tetanus bacillus and its toxin, as well as to others.)

Talmudic Question #42

Given that horizontal gene transfer between and among prokaryotes seems to be a relatively frequent occurrence, why does it appear to be so rare between prokaryotes and eukaryotes (except perhaps in early times)?