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Bacteria

Is there life on Mars? Again Microbes hold the key

Earliest life of single cell evolved into 3 branches having distinct traits. The branches further subdivide into more branches on the evolutionary tree of life called Phylogenetic tree of life. The first three branches are called Bacteria, archaea and Eucaryota. As we can see in this tree, there is a member of archaea family with the name Methanogen. This microbe holds the answer for presence of vast quantities of methane which is trapped inside the ice cages called methane hydrates. These hydrates are found in Earth’s in permafrost regions having very low temperatures or under the deep sea floor. Water… Read More »Is there life on Mars? Again Microbes hold the key

Bacteria in Oilfields

Bacteria can thrive on almost anything and adapt themselves to very diverse environments. They can subsist on substances like cellulose which we humans cannot assimilate. They can breakdown poisonous gases like hydrogen sulfide and absorb nitrogen from atmosphere and fix them into the roots of many plants which plants use as fertilizer. Bacteria can even breakdown crude oil. Crude oil consists of millions of hydrocarbons which are composed from carbon and hydrogen. These compounds range from the simplest molecule called methane made from 1 carbon atom to giant molecules containing even more than 50 carbon atoms. Many of these bacteria… Read More »Bacteria in Oilfields

Microbes Rule Our World

There are trillions of microbes which inhabit an adult body. Looking at the sheer numbers, one may think that all these microbes are responsible for the ailments only. But this is not true. On the contrary, microbes are much more our friends than our enemies. Microbes run this world despite their infinitely small size. Their success lies in the sheer numbers and ability to adapt to the changing conditions. Following is the list of some species of the microbes that make our lives better: Bacillus thuringiensis A common soil bacterium that is a natural pest-killer in gardens and on crops.… Read More »Microbes Rule Our World

Yogurt

Yogurt is the fermentation product of milk. In India,  it is part of food consumed by the village people. Buttermilk is made from it and in summers it gives refreshment and instant energy. It has a cooling effect and promotes digestion because it contains probiotic-the “Good bacteria” in addition to Calcium and proteins. As in most of the transformations, the process of converting milk into yogurt is carried out by bacteria. Yogurt forms when bacteria ferment the sugar lactose into Lactic acid. Although Lactic acid is a weak acid, it is strong enough to lower the pH (or make more… Read More »Yogurt

Bacteria and Plants: Master Chemists

Bacteria and Plants are the master chemists. They synthesize mind boggling variety of macromolecules based compounds like sugars, proteins, lipids and enzymes using simple chemicals present in the medium and soil as the starting materials. Some of them take mineral carbon in the form of CO2 and water and partition it into products of great use e.g. proteins, sugars, lipids and hydrocarbons. As opposed to the their counterparts in the laboratory which can create optimum conditions like high temperature and pressure required for the reactions, they do the same synthesis under the prevailing conditions using enzymes which they synthesize in… Read More »Bacteria and Plants: Master Chemists

DNA Decoding Sheds Light on Neanderthal Life

DNA decoding is a powerful technique. It is a molecular level investigation tool about the life. It has helped the life scientists to say with confidence that at the molecular level, all life is identical to 99.9%. The remaining 0.1 % is all which is responsible for the vivid diversity of life. According to one report, Neanderthals, our distant cousins, used natural drugs to alleviate the pain and diseases. 50000 years ago, they were depending on the natural cures. The ancient fossil of jaw had been studied genetically and it has been found that genetic material collected from the plaque… Read More »DNA Decoding Sheds Light on Neanderthal Life

Odour Chemicals in Armpit 

Human Armpit cavity provides an ideal environment for growth of bacteria. The intensity of bacteria in the armpits is mind boggling. In fact, it is reported that there are a million bacteria per square centimeter. Not only are their population so high, there are so many different types of them. They produce chemicals by breaking down the precursor chemicals present in sweat which cause the stinking smell. The odours are so embarrassing to people that millions of dollars industry of deodorants thrives due to this. This means that in addition to ideal temperature and lodging facilities like folds of skin… Read More »Odour Chemicals in Armpit 

Ad Makers thrive on ignorance of Public

In many ads about germicides, it is claimed that so and so soap kills 99.9% bacteria. This means that if there were 100000 of these microscopic beings, after treatment 99900 will be killed but still 100 will stay alive. One thing they don’t tell is that bacteria growth is exponential and within no time they will multiply again.  As the number of surviving bacteria will be less and amount of food is same as before, their proliferation rate is very high and they will grow within no time to large numbers. Only limiting factor against their growth is the starvation… Read More »Ad Makers thrive on ignorance of Public

Dotard

He is approaching late fifties and becoming a dotard by the each passing day. He laughs empty laughs and is plagued by formalities; though he is cunning like a fox but that fox has swaddled himself in the body of a bear. He virtually quacks in front of his seniors and rages on the juniors when there is no stress. His food slips through his hands when he is late even a minute for the office lest his boss bang him in front of the colleagues. But he terrorizes his juniors, demands goodies from them in return for easy and… Read More »Dotard

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