Microbes Flashcards
What is largest size we can see? Smallest clear focus?
30 micrometers
10 cm
Three “worlds”
Invisible
Shadow- can “see” but not in detail
Visible
What is a cell?
Minutes compartments that make up all living tissue. Site of metabolism and replication. All cells descend from other cells by modification.
What is the dual system of a cell
Metabolism and Information
What is the role of metabolism in a cell? What is the role of the cell membrane in metabolism?
The metabolism is needed in a cell for growth and life
The cell membrane keeps the products of metabolism together
What is the role of information in a cell? How is the cell membrane important for information systems?
The cell stores information necessary to synthesize the metabolic system
Information is linked to the metabolic system by the membrane
What are the two things fundamental for life?
Growth and Reproduction
Why is cell reproduction important regarding growth? How do metabolism and information play a role in this?
When cell grows too large it becomes inefficient; organelles are further from membrane. This is when the cell splits.
And information system that encodes a more efficient metabolism will reproduce at a faster rate. This is natural selection.
What are “2 thing that are not yet understood”
- Origin of life
- Consciousness
What are the three theories on the origin of life?
- Divine creation
- Spontaneous Generation
- Panspermia
What are the three types of panspermia?
- Undirected: (bacteria)
- Directed: “aliens planted us here”
- Misdirected: Space pollution by other civilization in the universe
Genetics first theory
RNA is a self replicator that catalyzed it’s own self-replication
Metabolism first
Metabolism supplied energy necessary for the later appearance of self-replicating systems
What is a bacterial genome?
A single molecule of DNA in a closed loop
What is a plasmid?
Small DNA molecule that occurs in bacteria genome but is not essential to it’s normal function.
Can evolve as a parasite
