by Elio — Occasionally, we mention a review article that we think should be called to your attention. Now we wish to highlight a review by J. A. Granick and D. K. Newman called 'Extracellular Respiration'. Read more →
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by Elio — Occasionally, we mention a review article that we think should be called to your attention. Now we wish to highlight a review by J. A. Granick and D. K. Newman called 'Extracellular Respiration'. Read more →
Posted on June 28, 2007 at 02:42 PM in Ecology, Physiology & Genetics | Permalink | Comments (0)
We previously asked: Invertebrates are said to have only innate immunity. Why do you suppose they have not evolved acquired immunity, as vertebrates have done? Let us now turn it around and ask: Why have vertebrates evolved acquired immunity? Read more →
Posted on June 27, 2007 at 12:21 PM in Talmudic Questions, Teachers Corner | Permalink | Comments (2)
by Elio — A long, long time ago, a biochemist friend of mine said to me jokingly (I think): "When I hear the word lipid, I reach for my gun!" I'm not sure it was all that funny then, but any attempts at disparaging humor must cease now. A month doesn't go by without a report of a new role that lipids play in essential life processes. Read more →
Posted on June 25, 2007 at 03:56 PM in Fungi, Pathogens, Teachers Corner | Permalink | Comments (1)
by Elio — Error bars in histograms remind me of detonators used to set off explosives. I am tempted to ask: "What would happen if you pushed down the plunger?" You see, in the old days people used to show the whole error bar, not just the half sticking out of the top. I'm still getting used to them, but... Read more →
Posted on June 21, 2007 at 01:11 PM in Odds & Ends | Permalink | Comments (0)
by Elio — Accustomed as we are to microbial surprises, we were nonetheless taken aback by a report disclosing that certain fungi grow better when exposed to ionizing radiation. According to a paper from Albert Einstein Medical School, fungi can also use radiation as a source of energy─not exactly one's view of radiation as something malevolent and baneful. Read more →
Posted on June 18, 2007 at 02:49 PM in Ecology, Fungi, Teachers Corner | Permalink | Comments (1)
by Elio — Pneumococci aren't the most affable of bacteria. They make antimicrobial agents such as bacteriocins and bacteriolysins that are directed not, as is the usual case, against other species, but against their own. This phenomenon, dubbed fratricide... Read more →
Posted on June 14, 2007 at 03:56 PM in Physiology & Genetics | Permalink | Comments (1)
by Eddy Mateescu — This urgent call, borrowed from movies about submarine warfare, applies to this non-microbial posting that is intended as an appetizer for the fascinating subject of parasite modification of host behavior. Read more →
Posted on June 11, 2007 at 03:51 PM in Behavior, Ecology, Pathogens | Permalink | Comments (2)
by Merry Youle —Marine bacteria have been much in the news of late, and rightfully so. There are many of them (an estimated 10 to the 29th total), they occupy specific local niches in the seas, and they carry out diverse (and sometimes previously unknown) activities. A case in point: some of them harvest energy from the sun via a system other than... Read more →
Posted on June 07, 2007 at 09:10 AM in Ecology, Evolution, Physiology & Genetics, Teachers Corner | Permalink | Comments (0)
by Jennifer Gutierrez, Sabrina Perrino, Kalyn Stern, Mark Thever — As first year graduate students in microbiology, we are accustomed to microbial surprises, learning again and again how different and exciting bacteria can be. However, it is fair to say that we were not entirely prepared for the Planctomycetes─ bacteria that divide by budding, have no peptidoglycan, and possess a unique and perplexing body plan. Read more →
Posted on June 05, 2007 at 06:49 PM in Evolution, Physiology & Genetics, Teachers Corner | Permalink | Comments (2)
by Elio — More often than not, speakers at lectures use a laser pointer to circle around or "underline" items on a slide they wish to emphasize. Read more →
Posted on June 04, 2007 at 04:59 PM in Odds & Ends | Permalink | Comments (3)