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  2. Animalcules 1.3--PZ birthday edition

Animalcules 1.3--PZ birthday edition

By tsmith on March 9, 2006.

Welcome to the third edition of Animalcules, complete with a top-secret birthday message for everyone's favorite thorn in the side of creationists, PZ Myers. (Or Meyers, or Meijers, or several other more creative mispellings, I'm sure).

There have been several posts around the blogosphere commenting on the recent paper describing MRSA in amoebae. Paul extends this a bit, discussing microbial survival in the environment more generally--complete with test question at the end.

Paul also makes a comment about microbial phylogeny--another topic we have multiple posts on this round. RPM at Evolgen has a post on gut microflora, referencing a new microbial diversity paper in Cell.

Carl Zimmer at The Loom writes about the new tree of life. Check out all that beautiful purple diversity...then note that much of the rest of it consists of single-celled critters, as well. Ain't microbiology grand....

Speaking of Carl Zimmer, a new blog to me, Stridulations, gives an overview of Wolbachia, very cool symbiotes that can manipulate their hosts.

Over in the den of the mad biologist, Mike discusses more on the big six microbial "hit" list, and about what may be awaiting you at your local Apple store.

Joseph at Immunoblogging likewise has 2 submissions: a Post on the emergent disease Post-weaning Multi-systemic Wasting Syndrome and why it's not a good idea to feed piggie parts to othe pigs. (Long story short: cannibalism--bad). He also has a nice introduction to Yersinia pestis: past, present, and potential future in his history of plague post.

Over at Circadiana, Bora continues on from his introductory post with a post showing how bacteria have contributed to our understanding of such clocks.

Here in the Scienceblogs neighborhood, grrlscientist has a post on H5N1 transmission, and afarensis notes the importance of animalcules in the study of evolution. Um, Zowie!

Finally, a few I stole from elsewhere: at Biology News, find out about a new method for identifying microbes. In a related story, Ruth at the Biotech Weblog notes a new microbial database.

Thanks again for all the submissions--next carnival will be March 23rd at Science and Politics.

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Carl Zimmer at The Loom writes about the new tree of life. Check out all that beautiful purple diversity...then note that much of the rest of it consists of single-celled critters, as well. Ain't microbiology grand....

You know, microbes are going to usurp us as masters of the planet eventually. When we're all dead and gone to evolutionary memory, it will be the microbes that will still be here I'm pretty certain. They'll probably end up as the whole tree again.

You know Joeseph, I think microbes are already masters of the planet, and have been for billions of years. Human beings are simply another in a long line of dispersal mechanism/snack along the way, whom the microbes let think are in charge. They were the first creatures to arrive on this big blue and white planet (at a time when it was neither blue nor white), and will be the last to turn out the lights when the time comes.

Long live the microbes!

Oops, sorry I miss-spelled your name Joseph.

You know, microbes are going to usurp us as masters of the planet eventually. When we're all dead and gone to evolutionary memory, it will be the microbes that will still be here I'm pretty certain. They'll probably end up as the whole tree again.