Transcript Slide 1
They get a bad rep’, but most are good. Bacteriology: the study of bacteria Some organism are composed of only one cell. They are unicellular: Micro- Organisms or Microbes Bacteria have been found in Peruvian pyramids 4,800 years old. In the gut of a mastodon preserved in a peat bog 11,000 yrs old. Bacteria can spontaneously mutate for survival. •No nucleus, mitochondria, no organelles •More numerous than all other living things. Prokaryotic Bacteria are living things that are neither plants or animals. They belong to group all by themselves. They are single celled, but normally live in groups of millions and they can multiply very fast. • Can live without oxygen . . . Anaerobic • Can live with oxygen . . . . . . . Aerobic Pathogenic Bacteria Cause disease Color enhanced scanning electron micrograph showing Salmonella invading cultured human cells. Lab makes renewable diesel fuel from E. coli poop Fossil fuels that keep our planet running -- oil, natural gas and coal -- were created from the decomposition of plants, plankton and other organic material over millions of years. Today, scientists all over the globe are working to create fuels with the same properties but without that pesky 100 million-year wait. And "renewable petroleum" is now a reality, on a small scale, in some laboratories. Pollution kills Bio-luminesense A shrimp vomits bioluminescent material Sediment samples are mixed with a bioluminescent bacterium called Vibrio fischeri. Using a photometer to measure the light given off by the bacteria, she can quickly determine the concentration of toxic chemicals in the sediment by seeing how much and how quickly the light dims as the chemicals kill the bacteria. You couldn’t live without Bacteria in your Gut Bacteria make up most of the flora in the colon[7] and up to 60% of the dry mass of feces.[2] Somewhere between 300[2] and 1000 different species live in the gut,[3] with most estimates at about 500.[4][5][8] However, it is probable that 99% of the bacteria come from about 30 or 40 species There are estimated to be between 20,000 and 25,000 human protein-coding genes. 2.9 billion if you include “Junk DNA” Genome mapping of bacteria can tell us its exact function. The first was done in 1995 – it took 13 months. Now we can do it in a day. Can live anywhere – arctic, thermal vents, hot springs…… Some are parasites, some can make their own food like plants do Some are useful to humans yogurt chees e Cottage cheese Nitrogen fixing Decompose organic wastes Produce medicine through genetic engineering Used to break down oil after oil spills Keep harmful bacteria from colonizing our bodies