Small Things Considered

Talmudic Question #153

 
Take a 1000 year old sequoia tree. What genetic difference would you expect to find if you analyzed the various branches? Read more →

Talmudic Question #152

With the widespread use of alcohol-based disinfectants (hand dispensers seem to be all over), can you conceive of a bacterium becoming resistant other than by making spores? Read more →

Talmudic Question #151

Should a cellular life form be found outside our planet, would you guess it would look more like a coccus or a rod? Read more →

Talmudic Question #150

Apparently, the total weight of Bacteria on Earth exceeds that of Archaea. How come? Read more →

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 →