Small Things Considered

Talmudic Question #181

Some authors have written describing single cells as "cog­ni­tive" or "agents with agen­das." Cog­ni­tion may not be far from con­scious­ness… . In what­ever sense you choose, could you ar­gue that bac­te­ria have con­scious­ness? Read more →

Exploration, Streptomyces-style

by Roberto | The evolutionary trajectories of bacteria are great­ly in­fluen­ced by their re­pro­duc­tive suc­cess in chan­ging en­vi­ron­ments. Of course, this is not just about how fast bac­te­ria di­vide when con­di­tions per­mit growth but also how well they sur­vive in the ab­sence of growth. In ad­di­tion, an im­port­ant de­ter­mi­nant of the over­all fit­ness of a bac­te­ri­al lineage is... Read more →

Spy Gadgets

by Janie | Some bacterial enzymes have interesting character arcs. DNA poly­merase, courtesy of Thermus aquaticus, soaks up the limelight as an enzyme pulled out of bacteria and cata­pulted into molecular biology stardom. One enzyme that is certainly less-known is FbaB, which helps Strepto­coccus pyogenes adhere to and invade host cells... Read more →

The Streptococcal Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

by Janie | In Norse mythology, the goddess Freyja has a cloak of feathers that can ferry her between human and falcon forms. The Aztec deity Tezcatlipoca sometimes wore a jaguar skin to disguise himself. Sneaking into the ranks of such mythological figures is the more tangible and much smaller Group A Streptococcus... Read more →

Elio's Memoirs

by Roberto
This sepia toned photograph was taken on January 6, 1950. That's Elio in the light toned overcoat, looking over his right shoulder and standing on the first step of the ladder and about to enter a Panagra DC-3. Read more →

Teachers Corner: Where have all the protons gone?

by Roberto | Learning is complicated. To anyone involved in teaching, it is apparent that students learn in diverse and often mysterious ways. It has even been said that one never really learns something until one has to teach it! Read more →

Of Terms in Biology: Dysbiosis

by Elio | Dysbiosis is a fairly old term but one that seems to have gained con­si­der­able cur­ren­cy lately. Its ori­gin is from the Greek dys (bad, difficult) + biōsis (mode of life, from: bios life).  It is used to de­note an im­bal­ance in some­one's mi­cro­biome, human, animal, or plant. Read more →

A Novel Way to Kill Your Neighbor

by Elio | Ever wonder why that paradigm of bacterial signaling molecules, (p)ppGpp, uses guanosine (G) and not some other base (is this a Talmudic Question in the making?)? To remind you, guanosine tetraphosphate, ppGpp, (or the pentaphosphate, pppGpp, the two have pretty much the same activity), is the classic bacterial "alarmone"... Read more →

Remembering a Remarkable Man

by Roberto | Outdoors the air was crisp, as it should be for a late Oc­to­ber even­ing in Maine. In­doors, with lit logs crack­ling in the fire­place, the twelve of us sat fully ab­sorbed in the nar­ra­tive spok­en by our spe­cial guest. The soft tone of his voice, the sparkle in his eyes, and his joy­ful smile framed the story­telling per­fect­ly. That even­ing, this gentle man... Read more →

TWiM 226: Two microbes you might not know

Two unusual microorganisms, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, heard by Elio in an episode of Doc Martin, and Roseomonas mucosa, which is being used to treat atopic dermatitis. Read more →