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Articles & Books From Jennifer Stearns
Article / Updated 09-27-2022
The way that DNA encodes the instructions for proteins is through a set of four molecules called bases, each of which represents a letter of the genetic code (A = adenine, C = cytosine, G = guanine, and T = thymine). The bases are made of carbon and nitrogen rings and are bound to a sugar and a phosphate to form a nucleotideThe nucleotides are connected together to form a long chain with the bases pointing out.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-18-2022
When you're studying microbiology, you need to know the key differences between the three domains of life, how scientists name and classify organisms, and how scientists identify microorganisms.Differences among bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotic microorganismsThere are three domains of life: bacteria (also known as eubacteria), archaea, and eukarya.
Article / Updated 11-25-2019
Prokaryotic cells come in many different shapes and sizes that you can see under a microscope. A description of the shape of a cell is called the cell morphology. The most common cell morphologies are cocci (spherical) and bacilli (rods).Coccibacillus are a mix of both, while vibrio are shaped like a comma, spirilla are shaped like a helix (a spiral, sort of like a stretched-out Slinky), and spirochetes are twisted like a screw.
Microbiology For Dummies (9781119544425) was previously published as Microbiology For Dummies (9781118871188). While this version features a new Dummies cover and design, the content is the same as the prior release and should not be considered a new or updated product. Microbiology is the study of life itself, down to the smallest particle Microbiology is a fascinating field that explores life down to the tiniest level.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Perhaps one of the most frightening and nastiest of the microbes may be the ones people don’t know about and can’t prepare for. Organizations like the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control are constantly on the alert for new emerging pathogens, yet these pathogens can still appear without warning.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
There are many professions where knowing about microbes, either pathogenic or benign, is handy. There are also plenty of situations where applying a microbiology approach to a problem will get you out of a jam. Some are industries that employ microbiologists, and others are situations where a knowledge of microbiology is essential to getting the job done.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Since the 19th century, there has been an explosion of great microbiological research, leading to many different branches of microbiology, all of which are both basic and applied in nature. Here’s a list of the different fields of microbiology that have developed since the discovery of microorganisms:
Aquatic, soil, and agricultural microbiology study the microorganisms associated with aquatic (including wastewater treatment systems), soil, and agricultural environments, respectively.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
The plasma membrane borders the cell and acts as a barrier between the inside of the cell and the outside environment. The membrane serves many important functions in prokaryotic cells, including the following:
Providing sites for respiration and/or photosynthesis
Transporting nutrients
Maintaining energy gradients (the difference in the amount of energy between the inside of the cell and the outside of the cell)
Keeping large molecules out
The plasma membrane is made of a phospholipid bilayer.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Bacterial cells make a wide variety of lipids from subunits of fatty acids that have some important functions in the cell. Lipids are the main part of membranes and can be used as stores for longer-term storage of energy. Fatty acids are built by adding two carbons at a time to a growing fatty acid chain.
The enzyme acyl carrier protein (ACP) is essential to this process because it holds onto the growing chain until all the carbons have been added.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Since the beginning of their widespread use in 1943, antibiotics have saved countless lives and changed the way medicine is practiced. Before their discovery, people suffered or died from infectious diseases that today are a mere annoyance, like sexually transmitted diseases and post-operative infections. Today antibiotics are essential in treating life-threatening bacterial infections, like pneumonia and sepsis, and are used preventively in a number of medical procedures (like surgery) and treatments (like cystic fibrosis).