Talmudic Question #131
by Nicole Flanagan
Is there any human-associated bacterial species that cannot cause disease if introduced into some site of the body?
Other Posts
The Victorian Way With Words
by Elio — In 1884, W. B. Grove, Honorary Librarian of the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society, wrote these golden words on Pilobolus, a small dung-inhabiting fungus. Why the name was later appropriated by a famed dance group is shrouded in mystery.
Of Terms in Biology: "Silent Mutation", part 2|2
To continue with the comparison of apples and pears from the first part, here is an example of a synonymous mutation that can rightly be described as a silent mutation...
Antarctica's Deep Lake
A Frigid Home for Steadfast Archaea by Elio — Some time ago, we asked this Talmudic Question: Can you think of a place on Earth where there is free water but no microbes? (A sterile flask of nutrient broth in a lab, the insides of the body, or an IV bag in a hospital don't count.) Someone answered that perhaps…
Talmudic Question #200 ─ Our Twitter Poll
by Christoph — To celebrate our two hundredth Talmudic Question "What is the leading cause of bacterial or archaeal death?" we made a poll on Twitter. Thanks to our followers we received more than 100 votes, wow! We suggested the following as possible...
Adhering To The 'Replicon Model' The Sloppy Way
by Christoph — Sixty years ago Jacob, Brenner and Cuzin devised their 'Replicon Model', inspiring and useful guideline for replication research ever since. According to the model, a 'Replicon' is a genetic element replicated from a single 'Replicator' – replication origin, in modern terms – and replication is triggered by a positive trans-acting factor, the 'Initiator'…
Talmudic Question #13
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the root nodules of legumes differentiate into bacteroids, terminal cells incapable of reproduction. The nodules contain a few dormant bacterial cells that can proliferate upon release from the plant...
