Let’s cure ourselves with bacteria
Bacteria are used to make a high number of pharmacologically important substances. Actinomycetes, for instance, are thread-like bacteria that morphologically resemble mildews. They are among the most important producers of antibiotics, such as streptomycin and tetracycline.
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is also produced in laboratory by bacteria.
Some special bacterial strains are used as test micro-organisms to determine the antibiotic and vitamin content of some foods or drugs. Microbial strain means a bacterium that, although belonging to a given species, has distinctive morphological and metabolic features, such as, for instance, specific resistance to antibiotics, production of some substances or resistance to specific environmental conditions. A bacterial colony is instead a cluster of cells that is visible to the naked eye, mostly round in shape, and is originated by the proliferation of strains. A colony consists therefore of a very high number of bacteria from the same strain.
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8 March. We remember Rosalind Franklin, the great female DNA scientist.
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The Christmas Star Tradition
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Can you be intelligent without a brain?
Can you be intelligent without a brain? The answer is "in a certain sense, yes" and this is demonstrated by…
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10 October 2022
Spider lullaby
There are spiders that weave a classic web, that one we all know, to catch prey. There are others who…
-
19 September 2022
Double blow to dinosaurs
The Main Asteroid Belt is between Mars and Jupiter, an enormous ring consisting of millions of large and small rocks…
24 May 2022
Amphibians in peril
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warns: the extinction rate of amphibians is about 200 times greater than…
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8 March 2022
8 March. We remember Rosalind Franklin, the great female DNA scientist.
DNA was first isolated by Friedrich Miescher, a Swiss biochemist in 1869. It was a brilliant, but not complicated operation:…
27 February 2022
In search of the riders of icebergs
International Polar Bear Day, set up by Polar Bears International, a non-profit organisation, was held on 27 February. The aim…
-
10 October 2022
Spider lullaby
There are spiders that weave a classic web, that one we all know, to catch prey. There are others who…
-
19 September 2022
Double blow to dinosaurs
The Main Asteroid Belt is between Mars and Jupiter, an enormous ring consisting of millions of large and small rocks…
From the Multimedia section
Facts
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Bio-luminescence
Many sea animals, including a lot of fish and molluscs that live in the dark in the ocean depths...
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Bacteria as Sherlock Holmes
A drop of blood, a fragment of skin or a hair found on the scene of a crime can supply…
Down-pouring bacteria
It sounds incredible, but recent researches have found that bacteria can cause some atmospheric phenomena...
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Who lives well with low oxygen?
<i><span style="font-style: normal; " class="Apple-style-span"><i><em>Aquandriella fermentas</em> </i>lives in stagnant waters and can stand complete anaerobiosis...</span></i>
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13 May 2011
Bio-luminescence
Many sea animals, including a lot of fish and molluscs that live in the dark in the ocean depths...
-
Bacteria as Sherlock Holmes
A drop of blood, a fragment of skin or a hair found on the scene of a crime can supply…
-
Down-pouring bacteria
It sounds incredible, but recent researches have found that bacteria can cause some atmospheric phenomena...
-
Bio-luminescence
Many sea animals, including a lot of fish and molluscs that live in the dark in the ocean depths...