Question of the week #3

In my course syllabus, I mentioned introduction to protozoology or protozoalogy; however, on the handout given I wrote introduction to protistology.
Indicate two reasons for which I made this distinction between these two terms.
(Hint: one reason is historical and the other reason is the timeline of eukaryotic taxonomy)

I expect a response to this question on a piece of paper to be handed in by Thursday the latest (before Easter break)

Answers to Difficult Questions in Lab #4

Question 2:

No, a small zone of inhibition around control disk will not invalidate theexperimentdue to possibility of contamination; also an important issue is that your comparison is performed against controls so the choice of control is an important step in designing experiments

Question 6:

The Petri dishes were incubated upside down in order to avoid condensation of water leading to bursting bacterial cells through osmosis

Article Question 1:

Superbug is a microorganism resistant to many antiseptics and antibiotics


Article Question 2:

An antibiotic or bacteriocide


Article Question 3:

Staphylococcus aureus

Article Question 10:

Wounds that have dead tissue due to lack of blood supply (example gangrins)

Parts of a Compound Microscope

Answer to Weekly Question #1

i) There are no conflicts
ii) abiogenesis refers to the time that there were no life on Earth (~ 3.5 billion years ago) whereas spontaneous generation theory started with Aristotle (~ 320 BC) and life existed then. Therefore, conditions surrounding these theories are quite different.

Answers to Homework Questions Section 16-3

1. Sexual reproduction brings about genetic variability and consequently biological evolution can occur at a quicker pace; however, asexual reproduction leads to no genetic variation and thus evolution tends to occur at a slower pace
2. H2O
3. O3 (ozone) layer protect us from harmful UV rays from sun

What do you need to know for your quiz#1 on Friday?

You are responsible for all the materials on the following handouts with the given title:
1. Lecture #1 Abiogenesis (16.1)
2. Lecture #1 Summary
3. Test Your Knowledge 1
4. Primordial Soup with Julia Child!
5. Review of materials covered before the spring break and additional information
6. Questions pertaining to the first movie clip:"Flu Attack! How a Virus Invades Your Body!"
7. Introduction to Virology up to and including section I (six steps of viral replication; you should be able to list the six steps)

You are also responsible for
1. questions asked on Lab.#1 and Lab.#3 handouts
2. weekly question #1
3. homework for sections 16-2 and 16-3
4. Chapter 16 and Section 17-1 on the textbook (including Figures)

Answers to Homework Questions Section 16-2

1. H2O, CO, CO2, N2, H2S, HCN gases
2. Microfossils are microscopic fossils of organisms that lived on ancient Earth, usually no more than an outline of an ancient cell
3.
i) primordial soup and gases in question 1 transformed into organic molecules with the help of electrical energy of lightnings
ii) from outer space, carried by meteorites
4. If all organisms were heterotrophic then eventually all the organic matter in the organic soup would be used up and there would be no sources of food for organisms (if all of us are consumers then we ran out of food soon.)

Answers to Questions on Lab#3 (Computer Lab) Handout

1. What is the definition of a flora in microbiology? Give two examples.

All the microorganisms that live with us throughout our lifetime in a specific area of our body; no matter how hard we try; we cannot get rid of them. Examples are the flora on our skin and the flora inside our intestines (large and small.)

2. What is meant by industrial microbiology?

A scientific field that studies the ways we use or we should use microorganisms in industries.

3. Name two roles of bacteria in wastewater management?

1. Degradation of waste by the enzymes produced by bacteria
2. Killing other “bad” bacteria (competition among bacteria is controlled by human: we give the “good” bacteria a better condition to live and give the “bad” bacteria a worse condition to die.)

4. Name two bacteria which have anti-cancer activities?

Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium

5. What is the definition of bioremediation? Give an example of a bacterium involved in this process.

The use of biological organisms such as plants or microbes to aid in removing hazardous substances from an area; the example is the oil-eating bacterium.

6. What is a biopolymer? What types of biopolymers are produced by microorganisms?

Biopolymers are polymers produced by living organisms. Cellulose, starch, proteins, and DNA and RNA are all examples of biopolymers, in which the monomeric units, respectively, are sugars, amino acids, and nucleotides.


7. What are probiotics and what are they used for?

The term "probiotics" refers to dietary supplements or foods that contain beneficial or "good" bacteria that are similar to those normally found in your body. Example: probiotics in yogurt to restore the intestinal flora by killing “bad” bacteria.

8. Name the field of science that is concerned with the use of bacteria in technology.

Industrial microbiology (bacteriology) and biotechnology

9. Name two applications that bacteria can have on plastic products.

Breakdown (landfills) and production (tires)

10. Name three applications of bacteria in dairy industries.

Yogurt, cheese, kefir, sour cream …

Two Theories of Origin of Life on Earth

Theory #1: Spontaneous Generation
• Spontaneous Generation = the theory that life can be created from non-living things
• Examples discussed in class: maggots arising from meat, mice from rice, and mould from bread
• The theory of Spontaneous Generation was disproved by Louis Pasteur by performing his experiment.
(Recall: broth was sterilized and left to sit. Broth in an airtight environment did not change, but broth exposed to air grew clumps of bacteria/mould. Conclusion: the “life” came from outside the container, not from the non-living broth)

Theory #2: Abiogenesis
How did the first life on Earth arise?
• Earth’s early environment (called Primordial soup) ≈ 3.5 billion years ago!
• Consisted of these gases: Water vapor, hydrogen gas, methane gas, ammonia gas
• Three energies (thermal, electrical, and solar) helped the change from primordial soup to simple organic molecules (amino acids, fatty acids, nucleic acids, simple sugars)
• -> means reacted or combined to form
• Primordial soup -> simple organic molecules -> complex organic molecules -> first true cells -> tissues -> organs -> organ systems -> organism
• Abiogenesis literally means birth of life from non-life
• Abiogenesis is the chemical evolution of life (not the same as the biological evolution of life.) In the process shown above, it is: Primordial soup -> simple organic molecules -> complex organic molecules -> first true cells (which are the smallest living things)
• Biological evolution is the progress of change from one living thing to another living thing. In the process shown above, it is the progress starting from the first true cells -> tissues -> organs -> organ systems -> organism <-> other organism
• <-> means transformed into

Support for this theory:
• Alexandar Oparin: combined gum Arabic + gelatin to make coacervates
• Coacervates = groups of organic molecules having some of the functions/properties of simple cells. Not quite living, but closer!
• Oparin’s hypothesis: life began in the ocean and from substances present in the atmosphere

A Chart Comparison of Size versus Optical Instruments

Miller's and Urey's Experiment to Mimic Abiogenesis

Various shapes and Arrangements of Known Bacteria

Overview of Viral Infections