Transcript What kind of impact do bacteria have on the world around you?

What kind of impact
does bacteria have on
the world around you?
Nitrogen
-Fixing
Harmful
Affects of
Bacteria
Beneficial
Affects of
Bacteria
Recycling
Bacteria
Good or
Bad?
Bioremediation
What’s so great about
bacteria?
• No bacteria = no life
=
Nitrogen-Fixing
Bacteria
• Bacteria consume nitrogen from the air
and change it into a form that plants can
use to grow.
I love to take in
nitrogen!
Nature’s Recyclers
• Bacteria breaks down dead organic matter
replacing nutrients in the soil.
Bioremediation
• Bacteria used to combat pollution.
• The bacteria change the pollutants into
harmless chemicals.
Ex. Industrial, agricultural, oil spills, etc.
How do humans fight
bacteria?
Antibiotics!
Antibiotics
• Are medicines used to kill bacteria and
other micro-organisms.
• Genetically engineered.
Ex. Penicillin
Penicillin
•One of the first
antibiotics; comes
from a fungus called
penicillium.
Alexander Fleming
• Scottish
• 1929
• Discovered penicillium on agar plates but
could not purify it.
Florey and Chain
• British Scientists
• 1939-1945 WWII
• Developed penicillin on an industrial scale
for the public.
• Won the Nobel Peace Prize with Fleming.
How does penicillin kill
bacteria?
• The bacteria lengthen, but cannot divide.
Eventually the weak cell wall ruptures
http://www.cellsalive.com/pen.htm
Other benefits of bacteria…
Insulin
Food
• Engineered bacteria that
produce insulin for
diabetes.
• Scientists put genes
carrying genetic code for
human insulin into E. coli.
The bacteria makes
human insulin.
• Cheese, yogurt,
buttermilk, and sour
cream are created by
lactic-acid bacteria.
• The bacteria digest mild
sugar lactose and
converts it into lactic acid.
(Which preserves and
adds flavor)
Using the Essential Question for
this lesson, write or bullet the
answer.