A Cure for Malaria?

Bacteria are very useful in life: they can be helpful in ridding ourselves of wastes, in biomining, and in mosquito manipulation. The most interesting of these uses seems to be the fact that we can use bacteria to fight malaria. A bacterium by the name of Wolbachia can help prevent the spread of malaria, as described in 2006. This article (http://malaria.wellcome.ac.uk/doc_WTX035357.html) is not as recent as I would prefer it to be, so I will come back to this topic later for some deeper research. The infection is spread through the maternal line (from mother to daughter), and has some really interesting effects on insects. Wolbachia kills male two-spot ladybirds (which looks like a ladybug, except with only two spots), and the surviving females will eat the bodies of their dead brothers. In woodlice, the males turn into females (this is an interesting outcome). I don’t really have time right now to finish everything I would like to write on this post, so I will add on to it later. Visit back again soon for a detailed study on the effects of Wolbachia on insects!

(Another site I may find useful in the future is http://www.bacteriamuseum.org/cms/Bacteria/applied-bacteriology-use-of-bacteria-in-industry.html, which has an explanation of some areas in the study of bacteriology.)

More Discoveries!

Could bacteria be the first living organisms on earth?

This seems highly probable, as they were anaerobic, and seemed very simple at the first look. The earliest bacteria could have consumed natural amino acids, producing methane, alcohol, and/or carbon dioxide as waste products. These early types of bacteria used fermentation, which is an anaerobic method to produce energy.

Studying the origins of bacteria can help me understand how bacteria have come to survive for such a long time, and how these “simple” organisms are actually very complex.

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I have also been keeping a watch on Aditya’s blog, which has proved to be very interesting. He mentions three books on his blog: (1) Glowing Genes: A Revolution in Biotechnology by Marc Zimmer, Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books (2005). (2) Aglow in the Dark: The Revolutionary Science of Biofluorescence by Vincent Pieribone and David F. Gruber, Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press (2005). (3) Bioluminiscence: Chemical Principles and Methods by Osamu Shimomura, Hackensack, New Jersey: World Scientific Publication Company Inc. (2006).

I will definitely look at these books if I can; maybe I’ll see if Aditya is done with them and borrow them from him. He also has a list of links to websites and articles that are very interesting, and I will list them here for convenience:

(1) The Bioluminescence Web Page

http://www.lifesci.ucsb.edu/~biolum/

(2) Bioluminescence info and research from the Latz Laboratory of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography

http://siobiolum.ucsd.edu/biolum_intro.html

(3) Bioluminescence in the Sea - Jan 2010 article in the Annual Review of Marine Science

http://www.annualreviews.org/eprint/pbWcm4DyqvQGJ7F2qGkc/full/10.1146/annurev-marine-120308-081028

(4) Bioluminescence article by Professor John Lee, University of Georgia

http://www.photobiology.info/LeeBasicBiolum.html

(5) Bioluminescence article by Steven Haddock, Research Scientist, Monterrey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/09bioluminescence/background/bioluminescence/bioluminescence.html

(6) Detailed scientific article on applications of bioluminescence http://www.promega.com/resources/product-guides-and-selectors/protocols-and-applications-guide/bioluminescent-reporters/

(7) TED talk on Glowing Life in an Underwater World by Edith Widder (CEO and Senior Scientist, Ocean Research and Conservation Association)http://www.ted.com/talks/edith_widder_glowing_life_in_an_underwater_world.html

(8) Scientific American article on 10 shining examples of bioluminescent creatures

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=bioluminescent-avatar

Aditya also explores the history of bioluminescence. Though this is just a small list of early experiences with bioluminescence, it helped me see the path of discovery in this field: from mere sightings to explanations for what causes the phenomenon.

Definitions of several terms that may be useful later on:

Chemluminescence: the emission of light due to a chemical reaction

Flourescence: immediate release of light

Phosphorescence: delayed release of light

Aditya also mentions the different functions of bioluminescence, which may be useful later on, but as of now, I am not studying this area of bacteria.

Bioluminescence, however, is only one of many topics involved in the area of bacteria. It is a very interesting study, and I look forward to seeing some more information on Aditya’s blog!

New Methods of Observation/Inference/Experimentation!

In Biology for the past few weeks, we have been studying cell communication! The chapters in the textbook aren't as deep as I would prefer, but they are nevertheless useful for gaining a feel for communication. Right now, I am doing some extended research about each of these communication methods. If I find something especially interesting, I will post it.

I can't emphasize how exciting this project is for me! I am almost free to do whatever I want in the field of bacteria (I say almost because of monetary restrictions and practicality- after all, I am only in high school).

What I would really like to do, but would be nearly impossible at this time, is to create a bacterial cell based on my research. Hmmm... maybe this will be something I will pursue once I graduate.

Antibiotic Production. Virulence Factors. Bioluminescence. Sporulation.

Just look at those lovely connections!

The nanotubes shown in the picture above connect individual bacteria cells; these nanotubes can mediate bacterial communication, as discussed in this very intersting article: http://www.micab.umn.edu/courses/8002/Dubey.pdf.

Website of the Day!

I was taking a bacteria-related break, and I came across a website with various microbial descriptions and drawings!

http://adoptamicrobe.blogspot.com/

Aren't they just precious?

Those of you who have seen the so-called giant microbes (if you haven't, go to giantmicrobes.com) should understand my love for Yersinia Pestis... it is just adorable! The adoptamicrobe site has one as well:

Still a favourite :) Some people are just so creative!

An Article A Day

As I was researching, I found a really interesting article that suggested bacterial communication could lead to a change in Earth's climate. The article can be found at:

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-10-bacterial-affect-earth-climate.html

I might revisit this idea later on, when I examine the effects of bacterial communication on the environment.

This article assumes that global warming is caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide; this may or may not be true. In order to confirm this, I may do some extra research, or find someone else who is doing a project on global warming and share my findings with him or her.

While on the subject of working with another person, Aditya is studying bioluminescence, and he will be getting some water containing dinoflagellates from Puerto Rico! When he experiments with/studies these, I will be able to investigate further on this kind of bacteria, and incorporate some of his investigation in my research. His ISP blog is http://myintrepidadventures.blogspot.com/.

The Beginning of Life

Sorry I haven’t posted in so long… I keep track of my progress in a journal, and I have all my research and reflections in there. The course this blog will take is based on my journal and more generalized reflections. Occasionally, I may post a poem or short story I have written, inspired by my research.

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Though my project covers a large topic, I have decided that my main goal is to explore specific areas of bacteria: communication between bacterial cells and how bacterial cells carry out the information received through these communications. So far, I have done some background research on bacteria in general (their structure, functions, and interactions) to gain a feel for the field I am exploring.

The structure of bacteria is important to the cell communications, as one of the emergent properties in species is how structure fits function; the physical requirements of certain bacteria determine where they can thrive. The gene exchange between different kinds of bacteria also gives insight on the development of strains that can resist current antibiotics.

Though the structure of bacteria is the most practical place to start, I believe it is necessary to study the history of bacteria as well, to gain a better understanding of what seem to be the simplest creatures on earth, yet are so diverse and impactful. Though it seems impossible to discover a fossil of a bacterium, there are fossil records that extend to about 2.5 billion years ago! Though difficult to obtain, fossil records for certain bacteria exist, and it would be interesting to look through some. It is also fascinating that bacteria can survive in such a diverse plane of environments; studying the habitats of bacteria will also be incorporated into my project.

As I was researching, I began to appreciate bacteria more and more; beneficial bacteria as well as harmful bacteria surround us, and practically create the environment we are in. Without them, it would be impossible to live a normal life. As a result, this blog will be a guide to what I hope everyone can achieve through studying the wonders of bacteria: bacterial appreciation.