One place where bacteria can be found is on your teeth. This is why it’s so important to brush well. Don’t believe me? Then this experiment is for you. You’ll need to gather your materials and make sure you have a toothbrush and microscope nearby.


This is important because prokaryotes are incredibly common and have a huge impact on our lives.  You may already know some of the ways bacteria can be harmful to you, and this is certainly important information.  Scientists have used knowledge of prokaryotes to create medications, vaccines, and healthy living habits that have led to a healthier life for billions of people.


Please login or register to read the rest of this content.

Living things are all around us.  Sometimes the living things we notice the most are animals, whether its birds chirping in the trees, our pet dogs, or even our fellow human beings.  However, most living things are not animals - they include bacteria, archae, fungi, protists, and plants.  These organisms are extremely important to learn about.  They make life possible for animals, including human beings, by keeping soil ready for growth, and providing oxygen for our survival.  No life would be possible without these remarkable organisms.

The prokaryotes, bacteria and archaea represent an amazingly diverse group of organisms only visible when one looks under a microscope. These single-celled organisms obtain energy and reproduce in a variety of ways.

Though some bacteria are harmful, causing disease, many are very helpful, providing the nitrogen we need to live and aiding in digestion. Archaea have been found in some of the most extreme environments on the planets, including environments that are remarkably hot or salty.

Please login or register to read the rest of this content.


Ah-chooo! Influenza (the “flu”) is when you get chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, headaches, coughing, and feel like all you want to do is lie in bed. The flu is often confused with the common cold, but it’s a totally different (and more severe) virus.


The flu is passed from person to person (or animals or birds) by coughing or sneezing. With plants, it’s transmitted through the sap via insects. In the case of birds and animals, the flu is usually transmitted by touching their droppings, which is why hand-washing is so important! In addition to soap, the flu virus can be inactivated by sunlight, disinfectants and detergents.


Please login or register to read the rest of this content.

Birds, people, plants, and microscopic organisms need to know where they are as well as where they want to be. Birds migrate each year and know which way is south, and plants detect the sun so they can angle their leaves properly. People consult a map or GPS to figure out where they are.


Magnetotactic bacteria orients itself along magnetic field lines, whether from a nearby magnet or the Earth’s magnetic field. It’s like having a built-in internal compass.


Please login or register to read the rest of this content.

All living things need a way to get energy. Bacteria get their food and energy in many ways. Some bacteria can make food on their own, while others need other organisms.


Some bacteria help other living things as they get energy, others hurt them while they get energy, and still others have no affect on living things at all.
Some living things, or organisms, are able to make their own food in a process called photosynthesis.


In this process, the organism turns energy from the sun into energy that can be used for energy. Organisms that get their energy from photosynthesis are called autotrophs. Some bacteria get their energy this way.


Some bacteria, called chemotrophs, get their energy by breaking down chemical compounds in the environment, including ammonia. Breaking down ammonia is important because ammonia contains the element nitrogen.


Please login or register to read the rest of this content.

Bacteria have a bad reputation. Walk down the cleaning aisle of any store and you’ll see rows and rows of products promising to kill them. There are definitely some bacteria that cause problems for people, and we’ll talk about them soon, but we are going to start off positive, and talk about the many ways bacteria can be helpful.


First, decomposers help control waste. Without these bacteria, the amount of waste in soil would quickly make the soil a place where nothing could grow. Bacteria are even used in sewage treatment plants to treat our waste. Decomposers also help provide organisms with nitrogen, as was discussed earlier.


Please login or register to read the rest of this content.

When you hear the word “bacteria” what do you think of? If you’re like most people, you probably think of things that can make you sick. Although some bacteria do make us sick, this is not true for all of them. In fact, as we’ll see a little later, some bacteria are very helpful.


Did you know that bacteria can have a virus? It’s true! But first, you might be wondering: what’s the difference between viruses and bacteria?


Bacteria grows and reproduces on its own, while viruses cannot exist or reproduce without being in a living cell of a plant, animal, or even bacteria. Size-wise, bacteria are enormous.


Please login or register to read the rest of this content.

Can your spit glow? Let’s hope not – because if it did, you’d have eaten fish contaminated by photobacteria!


Photobacteria are comma-shaped bacteria that have the property bioluminescence.  This means that they give off light, usuafishlly a blue or green.  There are about 15 species of bacteria that fall into this group.  Photobacteria generally live in the ocean, where they survive off of sodium.  Remember that salt, or sodium chloride, is made of the elements sodium and chlorine, so the salt water of the ocean is a good place to find sodium.  These organisms appear to be clear under normal circumstances.


Photobacteria sometimes are found alone, and other times are found in large colonies.  Their most distinctive quality, that of bioluminescence, is triggered by autoinducers.  Autoinducers are molecules that signal the production of certain chemicals (in this case chemicals that lead to the release of light) in bacteria.  In photobacteria, autoinducers are related to the density of the bacteria.  In other words, the more bacteria present, the more of an impact the autoinducers will have.  For this reason, it is only when they are in large colonies to the bacteria give off light.


Photobacteria can have relationships with fish that can be positive, neutral, or negative for the fish.  Some photobacteria help fish by providing them light organs.  Other times, the bacteria are found on the intestines of fish, really not affecting things one way or the other.  Some photobacteria are pathogens, which means they can cause disease in fish.  Yellowfin tuna, striped bass, and white carp are especially at risk for the diseases caused by photobacteria.  So, although humans are not directly at risk from these diseases, they can indirectly be affected when the fish many people rely on for food become sick.  Additionally, dying fish can lead to the loss of a great amount of money when fishermen are no longer able to catch as many fish as they were previously.  A great deal of research has been done trying to find ways to control photobacteria populations.