Small Things Considered

A blog for sharing appreciation of the width and depth of microbes and microbial activities on this planet.

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A Most Useful Light Switch

Noteworthy — Phytoplankton, photosynthetic microbes that inhabit surface ocean waters, form the base of marine food webs. These keystone microbes are the oceans' primary producers. Importantly, their ability to carry out photosynthesis depends on their ability to make chlorophyll. Read more →

Posted on May 22, 2025 at 01:30 AM in Ecology, Noteworthy | Permalink | Comments (0)

Zombie Ants and the Evolution of Mind Control

by Clio Morata de Jong and Nico Morales — In the realm of natural mind control, few phenomena are as gripping – literally – as the death grip of the parasitic fungus in the genus Ophiocordyceps. This fungus doesn't just kill its carpenter ant hosts; it transforms them into instruments of fungal propagation. Read more →

Posted on May 19, 2025 at 01:30 AM in Ecology, Evolution | Permalink | Comments (0)

CRISPR-Based Metabarcoding

Noteworthy — Microbes are abundant and very diverse. But acknowledging their significance in our biosphere has taken time and relied on curiosity, hard work, and the development of technologies to access, identify, and study microbial communities. Read more →

Posted on May 15, 2025 at 01:30 AM in Ecology, Noteworthy | Permalink | Comments (0)

Evolution of Ant-Fungus Farming

by Mechas — Agriculture has triggered enormous changes in human society. But it is not unique to humans. Read more →

Posted on May 05, 2025 at 01:30 AM in Ecology, Evolution, Fungi, Symbioses | Permalink | Comments (0)

Of Aerobes and Anaerobes

Noteworthy — When first introduced to microbes, we quickly learn to divide them into aerobes and anaerobes. Then we qualify those titles with modifiers to yield such classes as facultative anaerobes, obligate aerobes and strict anaerobes. Read more →

Posted on April 24, 2025 at 01:30 AM in Ecology, Evolution, Noteworthy, Physiology & Genetics, Teachers Corner | Permalink | Comments (0)

Anticipating Seasons

Noteworthy — While plants and animals can measure differences in the length of days and nights bacteria, with their short life spans, would not be expected to do so. Read more →

Posted on April 10, 2025 at 02:17 AM in Ecology, Noteworthy | Permalink | Comments (0)

Our Built Environment Microbiomes

by Mechas — There is no doubt that our understanding of microbiomes – those microbial communities in practically any environment – has increased in recent years. Research now covers almost any conceivable niches, from cow rumen or the human gut, to numerous human-made ecosystems. Read more →

Posted on March 31, 2025 at 01:16 AM in Ecology | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Fungus that Reduces Methane Emissions

Noteworthy — We face unprecedented rising global temperatures, a crisis driven largely by the burning of fossil fuels. But other sectors, like the livestock industry, also contribute by producing large amounts of greenhouse gases. Read more →

Posted on March 20, 2025 at 02:30 AM in Ecology, Fungi, Noteworthy | Permalink | Comments (0)

Enter the Pirates

by Christoph — Microbiologists know of only a small number of genuine rapacious bacterial species. In scientific terms, they are referred to as "predatory bacteria". Well-known examples are Myxococcus xanthus and its ilk, which practice "wolf pack" swarm hunting, and the more solitary vampires from the Bdellovibrio tribe. Enter the pirates with Captain Aureispira… Read more →

Posted on February 18, 2025 at 02:25 AM in Ecology | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bdellovibrio–Prey Interactions

Noteworthy — The environmental bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is unique in its capacity to prey and feed on other bacteria. This predatory behavior involves attaching and entering prey cells to consume and grow on cytoplasmic macromolecules, eventually lysing the host. But how do these bacterial predators recognize and invade their prey? Read more →

Posted on February 06, 2025 at 01:30 AM in Ecology, Evolution, Noteworthy | Permalink | Comments (0)

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