by Elio
Photo Credit: Unhindered by Talent
Previous posts to this blog may be hard to find. We present here a lightly annotated list of our "mini-essays." You can also find them under "Categories" in the right-hand column of the Web page. (Some posts are listed in more than one category.)
Ecology
Kinases which set the tempo for the circadian rhythm of cyanobacteria exhibit the same rhythm in the test tube as in the organisms. (It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. December 1, 2006)
Bacterial bioluminescence may be involved in photoreactivation of damaged DNA. (An Illuminating Notion. December 1, 2006)
Lots of DNA falls to the bottom of the oceans-about 10 million tons a year. (Gifts from Above. December 14, 2006)
Giant limestone caverns are created by the action of the sulfuric acid produced by sulfide-oxidizing bacteria. (In a Cavern, in a Canyon... December 18, 2006)
Some marine bacteria gather the sun's energy using rhodopsin instead of chlorophyll. (Swimming by the Light of the Sun. June 7, 2007)
Some magnetotactic bacteria make what appear to be obligatory multicellular structures─the only obligatory multicellularity known in bacteria. (Could we have started out as magnetotactic bacteria? February 5, 2007)
Bacteria in the ocean make volatile sulfur-containing compounds, such as dimethyl sulfide, that cause water vapor to nucleate, thus forming clouds and affecting the weather. (Everybody is always talking about the weather... February 11, 2007)
Abundant microbes thrive within the "Deep Hot Biosphere." (Life Without Sunshine. March 12, 2007)
A variety of bacteria─most of them very small nanobacteria─have been cultivated from 120,000 year-old Greenland ice cores. (Old, small, cold... April 2, 2007)
Some fungi, e.g., those within the Chernobyl reactors, use ionizing radiation directly as an energy source. (Fungal Alchemy: Using Radiation as a Source of Energy. June 18, 2007)
Evolution
Should the term prokaryote be retained or abolished? (Prokaryotes by Any Other Name... January 9, 2007)
Close spatial interactions within bacterial biofilms leads to the selection of fitter mutants. (You Should Be in Films. February 27, 2007 )
Little spherical fossils, previously thought to be animal eggs, may be giant bacteria instead. (Fossil Caviar or Giant Bacteria? March 1, 2007)
A variety of bacteria─most of them very small nanobacteria─have been cultivated from 120,000 year-old Greenland ice cores. (Old, small, cold... April 2, 2007)
The chloroplast of a flagellate, Hatena, is actually an endosymbiotic alga. When the host divides, one daughter cell inherits the alga; the other must acquire the alga anew. (Caught in the Act. May 2, 2007)
Some 400 million years ago, before land plants became large, the biggest visible organisms were fungi standing about ten meters high and a meter wide. (When Fungi Ruled the Earth. May 21, 2007)
In tetracycline-resistant Bacteroides, tetracycline not only induces mating but also alters the expression of other host genes. (Tetracycline: Assassin, Aphrodisiac, Agent Provocateur, Choreographer. July 2, 2007)
Physiology & Genetics
Should the term prokaryote be retained or abolished? (Prokaryotes by Any Other Name... January 9, 2007)
Segregation of some bacterial plasmids relies on Par M, a protein that acts in vitro like a mitotic spindle. (Bacterial Mitosis: What's Taking So Long? May 14, 2007)
Planctomycetes are unusual among bacteria by virtue of their inner membrane system and their unusual fatty acids. (Planctomycetes: The Far Out Bugs. June 5, 2007)
Pathogens
A fungus, Haptoglossa mirabilis, injects an entire spore into a passing nematode or rotifer, there to develop at the expense of the host. (Arms and the Fungus. March 21, 2007)
Fungi make prostaglandins, effectors of mammalian inflammation (Lingua Franca [Lipid Division]). June 25, 2007)
Pathogenesis factors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa are activated by endogenous opioids, hence the predilection of this pathogen for stressed hosts. (Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Versatile Pathogen and Drug Addict? July 9, 2007)
Minicells coated with bispecific antibodies have been used to deliver anticancer drugs to the target tissues. (Minicells on Target. July 30, 2007)
Stress and infection have gone together for a long time, but it appears that bacteria can directly sense the presence of hormones such as norepinephrine. (Microbial Endocrinology ─ A Coming of Age. August 13, 2007)
Symbioses
Some bacterial endosymbionts reside in their hosts' mitochondria. (All in the Family. January 5, 2007)
Bacterial epibionts on the back of some ciliates (Euplotidium) discharge their cell contents into barb-like structures. The mechanism involves bacterial tubulins. (Ciliate 007. January 16, 2007)
Predatory ciliates temporarily appropriate the functioning chloroplasts and nuclei of small red algae. (Nuclear Option. January 26, 2007)
A Burkholderia endosymbiont of the mold, Rhizopus, not only makes a plant toxin but is also required for the fungus to sporulate. (Two-For-the-Price-of-One Symbiosis. April 18, 2007)
The chloroplast of a flagellate, Hatena, is actually an endosymbiotic alga. When the host divides, one daughter cell inherits the alga; the other must acquire the alga anew. (Caught in the Act. May 2, 2007)
Fungi
A fungus, Haptoglossa mirabilis, injects an entire spore into a passing nematode or rotifer, there to develop at the expense of the host. (Arms and the Fungus. March 21, 2007)
A Burkholderia endosymbiont of the mold, Rhizopus, makes not only a plant toxin but is also required for the fungus to sporulate. (Two-For-the-Price-of-One Symbiosis. April 18, 2007)
Some fungi, e.g., those within the Chernobyl reactors, can use ionizing radiation directly as an energy source. (Fungal Alchemy: Using Radiation as a Source of Energy. June 18, 2007)
Fungi make prostaglandins, effectors of mammalian inflammation (Lingua Franca [Lipid Division]). June 25, 2007)
Protists
Bacterial epibionts on the back of some ciliates (Euplotidium) discharge their cell contents into barb-like structures. The action involves bacterial tubulins. (Ciliate 007. January 16, 2007)
Predatory ciliates temporarily appropriate the functioning chloroplasts and nuclei of small red algae. (Nuclear Option. January 26, 2007)
The chloroplast of a flagellate, Hatena, is actually an endosymbiotic alga. When the host divides, one daughter cell inherits the alga; the other must acquire the alga anew. (Caught in the Act. May 2, 2007)
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