By Moselio Schaechter by Daniel P. Haeusser Figure 1. (A) Transmission electron micrograph of uranyl-stained MO-1 cell with its sheathed flagellar bundles (arrowhead) along the long hemisphere of the cell. Arrow shows individual flagella at the cell distal end of the sheath. Scale bar = 500 nm. Adapted from: For more great articles: Small Things…
By Moselio Schaechter by Elio Figure 1. Nematode with a bacterial fur coat. Scale bar: 20 µm. Source Surely there are limits to the size and physiology of bacterial cells. They can only get to be so big or so small, so full of ribosomes or so depleted of them, so fast or Read Full…
By Moselio Schaechter by Terry Roemer Figure 1. Source Increasingly, it is becoming apparent that there is a deep difference between what happens in vivo and in vitro. The idea that one can comfortably extrapolate from the bench to, say, the bedside, is receding rapidly. Living things, not even the smallest Read Full Article Here…
By Moselio Schaechter We posted Talmudic Questions #118 and #119 together because they struck us as being inter-related, both sending our thoughts down similar avenues. Imaginary bacteriophages infecting a mitochondrion (Talmudic Picture) #118 by Nicholas Shikuma Are there bacteriophages known to infect eukaryotic cells? # 119 by Beja Oded Are there Read Full Article Here…
By Moselio Schaechter by S. Marvin Friedman Figure 1. The Great Plague. Source A bit of history. The enterobacterium Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of the plague, was responsible for many terrifying outbreaks over the course of recorded history, but the most devastating pandemic was known as the Black Read Full Article Here For more…
By Moselio Schaechter by Chris Condayan ASM’s Cultures magazine traveled to Colombia for its recent food issue to capture its first digital multimedia story. Watch the Video ASM traveled to Colombia to speak with and film the researchers behind an innovative biotechnology project that is producing exciting results. The international Read Full Article Here For…
By Moselio Schaechter by Jamie Henzy The venerable Polinton family The line between viruses and parasitic elements of the genome is thin and delicate, and probably often crossed. Parasitic elements that acquire the means to escape the host cell become viruses and, conversely, viruses can lose this ability and return to a more Read Full…
By Moselio Schaechter These two questions are posted together because they are obviously related. #118 by Nicholas Shikuma Are there bacteriophages known to infect eukaryotic cells? # 119 by Beja Oded Are there any phages known to attack mitochondria or chloroplasts? Read Full Article Here For more great articles: Small Things Considered
By Moselio Schaechter by Daniel P. Haeusser “I’m just crackers about cheese, Gromit!”— Wallace, in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit Figure 1. Wallace and Gromit with scrumptious cheese. Source Like Nick Parks’ Aardman claymation characters (Figure 1), Read Full Article Here For more great articles: Small Things Considered
By Moselio Schaechter by Elio You most have heard it said that no one is indispensable to an institution. Maybe so, but such truths come in degrees. Every so often someone comes along who makes a genuine difference in how an organization functions. I turn here to Michael Goldberg, who thirty years ago began Read…