Humans & the Microbial Workd Flashcards
What was Robert Hooke’s contribution?
In 1665, he viewed cork cells with a homemade compound microscope.
What was Anthony Van Leeuwenhoek famous for?
In 1674, he discovered “animalcules” in stagnant water, saliva, and sick people. Led to idea about ubiquity of microbes.
Who debunked the idea of spontaneous generation?
Francisco Redi used the meat in jars experiment to prove that flies created larva.
What was the importance of Louis Pasteur’s swan flask experiment?
- Air with microorganisms was heat sterilized.
2. Swan flask inhibited microbial recontamination because bacteria settled into the neck of the flask.
What was John Tyndal’s major contribution to microbiology?
He postulated that some microbes (endospores) are able to survive heating and thrive in extreme environments.
What was the major epidemic outbreak in 1918 and how many people died?
Influenza killed <100M that winter.
What are the negative impacts of microbes on humans?
Death and destruction. Microbes have killed more people than war has.
What are the 3 major positive roles of microorganisms?
- Oxygen production (algae in ocean).
- Nitrogen processing (into a plant-usable form).
- Breakdown of cellulose (decomposition).
What are the 3 major domains, and which 3 infectious agents are not organisms?
Domains: bacteria, archea, and eucarya
Infectious agents: viruses, viroids, prions
What are the two types of prokaryotes?
Bacteria and archea.
How is prokaryotic DNA contained?
DNA is contained within a nucleoid region, though there is no nucleus.
How do prokaryotes reproduce?
Thy use binary fission, which is replicating DNA, then pinching in half.
Which shapes are prokaryotes found in?
Spherical: round
Cylindrical: rod
Spiral
How are bacteria different from archea?
Bacteria have peptidoglycan in their cell walls. Their walls can be stained.
Archea can withstand extreme pH, temperatures, [ion], etc.
