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What is microbiology?. Levels of Hierarchy and Organization in Living Systems What are the functional characteristics of life?. Wiki Brainstorm. What are characteristics of Life? What makes something alive?. “Primordial Soup”.
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What is microbiology? Levels of Hierarchy and Organization in Living Systems What are the functional characteristics of life?
Wiki Brainstorm • What are characteristics of Life? What makes something alive?
“Primordial Soup” • Early 70’s experiments to show possibility for spontaneous generation of life molecules • Today: several labs working on assembling “de novo” micro-oranisms, from scratch or or from others (links coming)
Microbiology in the Hierarchy of Life Molecules Cells Tissues Organisms Environment
Levels of Organization • Molecular Level (Molecular Biology • Chemical Level (Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry) • Cellular Level (Intro. or Cell Biology): organelles, genes, mitosis, meiosis • Tissue Level (Histology): groups of cells with common function, living together, usually of same species—colony form and structure, division of cell types, formation of multicellular structures. • Organism (Physiology and Genetics) : Single cell or grouping of cells working together in environment) • Environment (Ecology, Epidemiology): Relationship between microbes and environment, other organisms—including humans—in environment. ALL MICROBIOLOGY!!
History of Microbiology • History of Microbiology [link] • Important events
Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) • No spontaneous generation of life • Life comes from other life
Other key events • Early 1900’s—sterile technique • Florence Nightengale—aseptic technique in nursing starting in 1850’s • Edward Jenner (1789)—vaccines (note early date!) • Modern times • Avery, Beadle—role of genes, DNA • Linus Pauling, Carl Woese—DNA sequence and evolutionary relationships • Recombinant DNA technology—now widespread • What is to come?
The importance of Diffusion • Diffusion versus Osmosis (diffusion across a membrane) • Diffusion fast and effective across microscopic distance • Virtually all living processes involve diffusion and/or osmosis • Cell membranes control diffusion and allow for life chemical reactions to take place • Diffusion allows cells to tissues to function…or is how cells function Cell membranes and Diffusion