by Manuel Sánchez — Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is one of the most powerful tools in studying the surfaces of any material. So it should come as no surprise that it has been used in the study of viral envelopes and biological membranes. One of its great advantages... Read more →
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Talmudic Question #201
Given that today is the day that the US celebrates Thanksgiving... What is Pseudomonas syringae pv phaseolicola – inhabitants of the green beans used for the traditional casserole – most thankful for? Read more →
Once more: I → Y → II ?
by Christoph — In part 1, I looked at Bifidobacterium bifidum to see if the occasionally observed Y-shape of these bacteria gives any hint on their mode of cell division ─ maybe longitudinal division? No, there is no tangible clue that they divide by splitting their Y zipper-like between the "arms". Here now I ask the same... Read more →
Microbes Warming Up to Climate Change
by Mechas Zambrano — A week of unusually warm weather for November in Boston, MA, and an online presentation on the perils of climate change have triggered my inner alarm in anticipation of troubles to come. We are well within the epoch recognized by some as the "Anthropocene," in which humans have... Read more →
I → Y → II ?
by Christoph — Don't worry, STC won't switch to cuneiform without warning. What vaguely resembles a chemical formula or a cuneiform text is meant to keep the title as short as possible. More verbose: I will take a closer look at Y-shaped bacteria to see if their "irregular" shape points to their mode of cell division... Read more →
Winogradsky Rothko
by Christoph — Winogradsky ─ you rightly expect the name of Sergei Winogradsky (1856–1953) to come up occasionally in a blog that Considers Small Things. But Rothko ? One of the luminaries of post-WWII abstract expressionism in the US, the Latvian‑American painter Mark Rothko (1903─1970) is best known for... Read more →
The Very Bacterial Caterpillar
by Jennifer Frazer — Glued to the inside of your mouth this very moment (there's a 50% chance) may be plump bacterial caterpillars. They cling to your cheek with paired little holdfasts, like the feet of a tomato hornworm resolutely clasping its stem. Of course, rather than tomatoes and tomato leaves, the diet of... Read more →
Book Review: Transformer
by Janie — Here is a quote from the Hungarian biochemist Albert Szent-Györgyi: "Life is nothing but an electron looking for a place to rest." Bold statement with a good point, encapsulating the energetics and chemistry that underlies all life... This is the angle of viewing life on Earth that... Read more →