The search for ΦX174 was the task that our fellow blogger naturepoker set himself some time ago. His search was not in some largely forgotten and iced-over box in the back corner of a –80°C freezer. Instead, he searched the literature as to when and where this bacteriophage was first described. Naturepoker has recorded the result of this sleuthing... Read more →
...rosette is a rosette. (3|3)
by Christoph — Among the Alphaproteobacteria, a number of species from phylogenetically distantly related orders are known for forming rosettes during growth. Despite commonalities, they all have their own peculiarities when it comes to the first cell‑cell contact(s) during "rosetting". Phaeobacter inhibens (order Rhodobacterales) cells attach to each other by their "sticky ends" at one pole... Read more →
...rosette is a rosette is a... (2|3)
by Christoph — I like to imagine that microscopists in the late 19th century who looked at water samples were happily surprised when they saw organized structures of cell clusters in the whole tangle of protists and bacteria, which they then liked to call “rosettes” because these were structures known from botany. And on closer inspection, it turned out that some of them were actually bacterial rosettes… Read more →
Rosette is a rosette is a... (1|3)
by Christoph — I dare say that every biologist was blown away when they, a decade ago or so, first saw pictures of spherical rosettes that choanoflagellates can and readily do form. Is this emergent multicellularity? Skilled microscopists had long been aware of such "rosettes" among (some) bacteria, but they never made it into the canon of bacterial shapes as they only form under certain growth conditions. Read more →
Pictures Considered #63: Images Can Shape Us
by Roberto — It used to be that, when I closed my eyes and thought back, searching for a defining moment that sparked my life-long passion for molecular biology, this image came vividly to mind. Most memories lie buried, coming back only mysteriously, and often without cue. This one, though, is clear. Read more →
How E. coli Rose to Prominence – An Addendum
by Roberto — In an era of microbiology largely dominated by research surrounding previously unimaginable extent of microbial diversity, here at STC we still have a strong affection for the advances made investigating model bacteria; prime amongst these is E. coli. Thus, it is no surprise that we are fascinated by the history of E. coli research. Read more →
Talmudic Question #212
In the same spirit as Talmudic Question #4, posted on December 19, 2006, here's another similarly "crazy" one... Read more →
Phage & Bacteria: A Space for Mutual Co-Existence
by Roberto — Phage-bacteria population dynamics can be remarkably complex. This is reflected in the natural history of both; new phage defense systems in bacteria and anti-defense systems in phage seem to be discovered daily. Behind these intricate strategies to help in the reproductive success of each lies the basic problem of any predator-prey relationship. Read more →
Digital Sequence Information
by Mechas — Microbiologists regularly use sequence data without giving it much thought. What will surprise many scientists is that its use is now being hotly debated in international scenarios such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Read more →
«Anything that can be regulated...
by Christoph — ...will be regulated» Thus goes a lesser‑known but tried-and-tested amendment of Murphy's law among molecular biologists. Practitioners, especially students struggling with their own first PCR and cloning experiments in the lab, are familiar with the original «Anythings that can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time.» I don't need to dwell... Read more →