The endosymbiosis of a cyanobacterium led to the formation of the photosynthetic organelle, the chloroplast. Along evolutionary history this organelle proved quite plastic; there are many non-photosynthetic variants with very different functions... Read more →
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Serendipity in Science
by Roberto — Serendipity. I feel it is one of the most beautiful words in English; it's so melodic and loaded with meaning. Perhaps I'm fascinated by it because it is difficult to translate into my native Spanish. Regardless, it does seem that quite often scientific discoveries happen serendipitously. Read more →
Wastewater Microbiology
by Mechas — Using wastewater to monitor human populations is a growing trend. The waste products found in the water discarded after domestic, commercial, or industrial use reflects the habits and consumptions of society and provide a pool of information on our customs and behaviors. Read more →
Enlightened by Microbial Rhodopsins
by Mechas — The cold and dark northern winter days evoke nostalgia for the comfort and warmth of sunshine. We may take the sun for granted or even shun its scorching rays in hot weather, but we seldom think about the complex process of building life from solar energy, the foundation of our existence. Read more →
Bacterial Sounds
by Roberto — Towards the end of last century, I read a short but provocative note entitled "Do bacteria sing?" With a title like that, who's not going to read it? As is usually the case, that reading led to more reading. I discovered several papers describing how some bacteria could be stimulated to form colonies more efficiently following sound stimulation. Read more →
Origins of Multicellularity Revisited
by Roberto — In the early years of STC, Elio wrote two posts on multicellularity. Why? Because "we lovers of microbes delight in the complexity of multicellular bacteria such as the actinomycetes, the myxobacteria, and some cyanobacteria," said he. Why do I write about this again? I'll argue that those three bacterial types are only the tip of the iceberg, bacterial multicellularity is the norm. Read more →
Viable Counts – A Conical Approach
by Roberto — How many living cells in my culture? There are times when optical densities will not suffice, when you will want to have an accurate assay that determines viable cell counts. It's no wonder one of the first things a student of microbiology learns is the age-old concept of using "colony forming units" (aka as CFU) as a viability assay. Read more →
Earth History – Microbial Numbers and Impact
by Roberto — I find solace in putting my life in perspective. And one of my favorite ways to approach this is to consider life at scales that are orders of magnitude away from my direct experience. Since all the life we know of is on Earth, here are a few of Earth's basic numbers... Read more →
Of Terms in Biology: Teleonomy
by Roberto — Read the following two phrases: In the presence of lactose, E. coli induces beta–galactosidase in order to use the sugar. In the presence of lactose, E. coli induces beta–galactosidase and thereby uses the sugar. Which one would you use? Do you see the fundamental difference between them? Read more →