Small Things Considered

Talmudic Question #149

by Jeff Mahr | Why are there apparently no elec­tron transport chains in eukaryotic membranes? Read more →

Talmudic Question #148

We are not aware of many biological entities in the shape of a torus (doughnut), certainly not bacteria. Can you think of some, either uni- or multicellular? Read more →

Talmudic Question #147

by Bernie Strauss | CRISPR-cas9 supposedly has its antecedents in an immune type mechanism to protect bacteria from virus infections. How does this discovery fit with the Luria-Delbrück demonstration that resis­tance develops as a result of spontaneous mutation rather than being induced by infection? Of course, it is possible that both mecha­nisms operate but I haven't seen the question discussed... Read more →

Talmudic Question #146

The Gram-negative outer membrane li­po­po­ly­sac­cha­ri­de (LPS) has three components, Lipid A, the core, and the O-anti­gen side-chain. The O-side chain and parts of the core can be de­le­ted. In con­trast, Lipid A ap­pears to be es­sen­tial. Why do you think that is? Read more →

Talmudic Question #145

It is becoming increasingly apparent that bacteria and archaea living in various oligotrophic environments tend to be quite a bit smaller than most grown in the la­bo­ra­to­ry. If this is true for the majority of prokaryotes, what do you make of it? Read more →

Talmudic Question #144

by Christoph Weigel
Michael Arnold, a geneticist at UGA, Athens, GA was cited in an article in the New York Times as saying: "It's sort of cool that evolution is really messy." Is that so?... Read more →

Talmudic Question #143

On the planet Trafalmadore there are no lytic phages, only lysogenic ones that are on­ly rarely induced to pro­duce progeny virions. How does their planetary microbiome differ from ours? Read more →

Talmudic Question #142

On the planet Krypton there are no lysogenic phages, only lytic ones. How does their planetary microbiome differ from ours? Read more →

Talmudic Question #141

How come peptides made enzymatically (independent of ribosomes) don't seem to get strung together to make a respectably sized protein? Read more →

Talmudic Question #140

In an acute infection, damage to tissues is usually due to a combination of factors made by the pathogen, such as toxins, and to an uncontrolled host response. Considering the huge parade of acute infections, which of the two do you think plays a greater role, generally speaking? Or can the two not be considered separately? Read more →