F@#$ Yeah! Biology!

ilovecharts:

The bacteria living in your gut may influence your personality. The top row of the graph tracks the movement of a mouse with normal gut bacteria (“SPF” means “specific pathogen free”) as it scurries around in an open arena over the course of an hour. The bottom row tracks the movement of a mouse that grew up without gut bacteria (“GF” means “germ free”). This little dude is much more active towards the end of the hour. Read about how gut bacteria influence brain development and personality in mice by clicking on the image. 

(via discoverynews)

sciencenote:

Bacterial conjugation is the transfer of genetic material between bacterial cells by direct cell-to-cell contact or by a bridge-like connection between two cells. Discovered in 1946 byJoshua Lederberg and Edward Tatum,conjugation is a mechanism of horizontal gene transfer as are transformation and transduction although these two other mechanisms do not involve cell-to-cell contact

Transfer of DNA from a donor to a recipient by direct physical contact between the cells. In bacteria there are two mating types a donor (male) and a recipient (female) and the direction of transfer of genetic material is one way; DNA is transferred from a donor to a recipient.

sagrasa:

Psychedelic Bacteria: fluorescent Bacillus subtilis (No photoshop) by Fernan Federici on Flickr.

Pattern formation with fluorescent bacteria (TagBFP, mKate2 and sfGFP).

biology art! 

photocyclist:

Here is a complete set of my bacterial font. I have used the same bacterial as before but the difference from the previous experiment was that I have grown this under room temperature.

As you can see some of them is not visible enough to see. That could be the case of not enough bacterial on the surface or the temperature wasn’t high enough.  

(via jtotheizzoe)

jordanvirden:

Bacteria streaked on a culture plate to form a beach scene. Jimmy Buffet would be proud.

/rad

(Source: tsienlab.ucsd.edu)

banginbiolum:

At first blush, the Hawaiian bobtail squid looks like just another bioluminescent cephalopod. Like many of its relatives, the bobtail squid makes deft use of its light-emitting photophores to hunt, communicate with its peers, and hide from predators lurking below. But it’s a fraud.

Instead of producing the light itself, the squid relies on a bioluminescent bacterium that dwells within its photophores. In exchange for shelter and a stable source of nutrients, the bacteria provide the squid with the ability to make light.

The relationship begins immediately at birth. After emerging from its egg, the juvenile bobtail squid acquires the bacteria from the environment, and they start the process of colonizing its developing light organs.

Studies have shown that the squid can even control the intensity of the luminescence produced by the bacteria in order to match that of the downwelling light in the water column.

mmm. symbiosis.

theendofmydays:

Hmm, I want one:9

I already ate a sandwich today and lots of bacon though.

(Source: ashtar-sheran)

8bitfuture:

34,000 year old bacteria comes back from the dead in zombie-like state.

From io9:

Thirty-four millennia ago, some bacteria got trapped inside salt crystals in what is now Death Valley. These crystals were recently dug up and the bacteria freed from their hibernation…and then they started reproducing.

Salt crystals can grow incredibly quickly and are known to trap whatever tiny organisms don’t get out of the way. For most microscopic critters, entrapment would mean a swift death inside the crystal. But this particular type of bacteria managed to shut down their entire bodies and wait out their imprisonment, subsisting off of little algae cells called Dunaliella. Researcher Brian Schubert, who made the discovery, explains what was going on inside the crystals:

“They’re alive, but they’re not using any energy to swim around, they’re not reproducing. They’re not doing anything at all except maintaining themselves. The most exciting part to me was when we were able to identify the Dunaliella cells in there, because there were hints that could be a food source.”

Read the full story here.

(via 8bitfuture)

This Canadian kid isolated two strains of bacteria that digest plastic and cultured them to consume it. Fun!

fuckyeahbiolum:

fyeahbioluminescence:

Bioluminescent bacteria.

This is totally COOL. If you can, zoom in on this photo and look at all the awesome shapes. :D

BTW - I suggest following fuckyeahbiolum. That blog is awesome. I’ve been personally following it for a few weeks now.