by Elio — Those who are underwhelmed by modern technology do not stand alone. A fungus made an "indestructible" CD inoperable by growing on its edge, devouring aluminum and polycarbonate, and making short shrift of the “information pits,” whatever they are. This particular CD had resided in Belize under... Read more →
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Talmudic Question #12
by Miguel Vicente — All living creatures are born, grow, reproduce and finally die. Consequently, as many flow without discontinuity from one cell to the next (Escherichia coli in the gut), a number of them do not grow (Salmonella enterica inside some phagosomes), others fail... Read more →
Help on the Taxonomic Front
by Elio — daresay that most of us feel frustrated and thwarted in the attempt to bring order in the chaotic thicket of microbial taxonomy. In our bewilderment we wonder, for example, if the concept of species will – Cheshire Cat-like – fade from view. Now the American Academy of Microbiology has... Read more →
The Proper Study of Man Is Bacteria
by Elio — It is of more than passing interest to know which infectious diseases did beset ancient humans. Such information may illuminate behavioral and cultural patterns difficult to obtain from other sources. Thanks to modern technology, it is possible to identify microbial DNAs found in ancient human remains. One of the most... Read more →
Talmudic Question #11
Can you think of any group of living organisms that is not host to some virus? Read more →
Arms and the Fungus
by Elio — 'Arma virumque canto' (“I sing of the arms and the man”). So starts Virgil’s Aeneid. I have wondered why anyone would want to sing the praise of armaments, as this is not my... Read more →
A Unified View By Providers and Consumers of Scientific Grants
by Elio — The NIH and the American Society for Microbiology have jointly issued a document entitled "Basic Research on Bacteria. The Essential Frontier." Readers of this blog may find this an enlightened manifesto that makes a lucid case for the subtitle of the report. This is not surprising, considering that it... Read more →
Talmudic Question #10
Do we know for sure that there are only three domains of life (Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya)? Read more →
Life Without Sunshine
by Merry and Elio — In 1998, a respected astronomer and physicist turned geologist, Thomas Gold, wrote a highly influential book, The Deep Hot Biosphere, in which he argued that there is abundant microbial life in the water within the pores, cracks and fissures of the rocks beneath our... Read more →
Talmudic Question #9
Given that spores are so effective in ensuring survival of bacteria, why don't all species make them? Read more →