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Earthquakes, Glue and Grappling Hooks: Scientists Dissect the Movement of Bacteria

By Guest PostFebruary 15, 2013Scienceanti infective, avalanche motions, california nanosystems institute, combat harmful microbes, combat microbial pathogenesis, earthquakes, frequency, fruiting body, gerard wong, glide along surface, glue, grappling hooks, henry samueli school, human tissue, intensity, karin a dahmen, max gibiansky, microscopic bacteria, molecular glue, molecular mechanism, movement of bacteria, myxococcus xanthus, pathogenic bacteria, social structures, tectonic plates, tectonic plates move, therapeutic strategies, ucla, university of Illinois, urbana-champaign, wei hu, wenyuan shi

A team led by researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has discovered that microscopic bacteria have a lot in common with earthquakes — when it comes to their jolting movements.

In a new study published in the peer-reviewed Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists also report that a molecular “glue” produced by the bacteria to help them adhere to surfaces also acts as a sort of transportation lubricant, helping them move and organize into rudimentary social structures. These discoveries, they say, could lead to new ways to combat harmful microbes in the long term. (more…)

Bacterial Communication Could Affect Earth’s Climate

By Guest PostOctober 15, 2011Environmentatmospheric carbon dioxide, bacteria, bacterial communication, benjamin van mooy, british columbia, canada, carbon cycle, carbon dioxide, clayoquot sound, climate, heat trapping greenhouse gas, laura hmelo, marine plants, microscopic bacteria, ocean, particles, particles of carbon rich detritus, phytoplankton, planet, rose kantor, source of carbon, tiny marine animals, tracy mincer, university of washington, vancouver island, vessel barnes, whoi, woods hole oceanographic institution, zooplankton

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) scientists have discovered that bacterial communication could have a significant impact on the planet’s climate.

In the ocean, bacteria coalesce on tiny particles of carbon-rich detritus sinking through the depths. WHOI marine biogeochemists Laura Hmelo, Benjamin Van Mooy, and Tracy Mincer found that these bacteria send out chemical signals to discern if other bacteria are in the neighborhood. If enough of their cohorts are nearby, then bacteria en masse commence secreting enzymes that break up the carbon-containing molecules within the particles into more digestible bits. It has been suggested that coordinated expression of enzymes is very advantageous for bacteria on sinking particles, and Hmelo and her colleagues have uncovered the first proof of this in the ocean. (more…)

Tag Archives: microscopic bacteria

Earthquakes, Glue and Grappling Hooks: Scientists Dissect the Movement of Bacteria

Bacterial Communication Could Affect Earth’s Climate