• Question: We are sudying Bacteria in Science at the moment wat was the best thing you learnt while studying bacteria?

    Asked by lozzyhill97 to Maria, Laurel, Ceri-Wyn, Bridget, Betul on 21 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Maria Pawlowska

      Maria Pawlowska answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      Bacteria are super important – they actually run the planet. They are responsible for elemental cycling and all the bacteria combined weigh more than anything else on the planet even though an individual bacterium is very small. Plus bacteria are responsible for our sickness as well as the proper functioning of our bodies. You wouldn’t be able to digest a lot of food if not the bacteria in your. Hope than convinces you of the importance of bacteria!

    • Photo: Laurel Fogarty

      Laurel Fogarty answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      The best thing I learnt about bacteria was that they communicate. It is a very primitive way of communicating called quorum sensing. Each bacterial cell emits a chemical signal that announces that they are there. When there is enough of this chemical, other bacteria in the colony know they have lots of buddies around them.

      This has lots of uses the best I have heard of is a bacterial cell that can glow, this is called bioluminescence. A species of octopus carries these bacteria in a pouch on its body. The bacteria multiply overnight and by the morning there are loads, the cells sense this and start to glow. The glowing camouflages the octopus during the day. At night, though, it would be dangerous to glow- it would attract predators. The octopus releases most of his glowing bacteria, they sense that there are not as many cells so the remaining cells stop glowing- like a biological light switch!

    • Photo: Bridget Waller

      Bridget Waller answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      I think bacteria are amazing – even with all our advance medical science we still fall victim to bacterial infection…it just shows how powerful evolution can be in shaping the design of a species! [note: see previous answers on how we know that evolution is happening today]

    • Photo: Ceri-Wyn Thomas

      Ceri-Wyn Thomas answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      I look at the world’s largest bacteria, Thiomargarita namibiensis,(the name literally means Sulphur pearl of Namibia!) as part of my research. (Some scientists think that the fossilised animal embryos I work on are actually ancient examples of these giant bacteria so I’m studying them now too!)

      I think the most interesting thing I found out about them is that they can reach up to more than 1mm in diameter, which for bacteria, is HUGE! I never thought you could see bacteria with the naked eye! They’re very beautiful because they’re filled with pearly globules of sulphur which shine under microscope light.

    • Photo: Betul Arslan

      Betul Arslan answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      Good question! I love bacteria! The best thing I learned is how quickly bacteria grows and how quickly it adapts to new conditions, it evolves very quickly.

      Moreover you can freeze bacteria anytime you want because when you thaw it, it will be exactly the same at the same you froze it! This is impossible to do with other organisms, can you imagine freezing a human for x amount of years and when you thaw they have no change and they are in perfect condition? Bacteria is cool because of it, very lab friendly. (Wow, look at me, I talk as if I have a love affair with bacteria… nerdy me) 🙂

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