The five kingdom classification system is a way of classifying living things into five distinct categories: animals, plants, fungi, protists, and bacteria. This system is also known as the Whittaker classification system, after its creator Robert Whittaker. The three domain classification system is a more recent way of classifying living things. It adds two additional … Read more
Having the ability to collect and identify unknown microorganisms is vital in health and medicine. This capability is important for a variety of reasons, such as knowing the causative agent of disease, knowing if the microorganism obtains any beneficial properties and knowing the correct microorganism to use to create a successful antibiotic. Implementing the experimental … Read more
Biological warfare has been around since the 19th century. It can include any organism or toxin found in nature to kill or injure people. Many nations are seeking ways to acquire biological weapons to use against other nations and there have been many concerns of terrorist groups having the technology to use them. In fact, … Read more
Airway mucus is part of inborn immunity that facilitates the elimination of inhaled microorganisms. Antibacterial mechanisms such as lysozymes and defensins, which are contained in airway mucus, are key components of this inborn immunity (Gerson et al. 2000). While this defense mechanisms remains prevalent in cystic fibrosis patients it appears to be compromised in that … Read more
Bacteria are microbial organisms which are present in various environments. Many bacteria are good and help humans synthesize materials and assist in biological processes, such as digestion. However, some bacteria can cause harmful diseases. When harmful bacteria infects the body, people take antibiotics in order to suppress bacteria. Different antibiotics have different ways they suppress … Read more
Modeling bacterial growth is important in maximizing the efficiencies of biological processes. Although there are many different methods of modeling bacterial growth, this experiment focuses on the Monod equations. However, in order to use the Monod equations, the maximum growth rate and Monod constant must be found. Here we show how the maximum growth rate … Read more
The urinary tract uses urination as a cleaning mechanism, which acts as host defense against bacterial growth and infection. When urine is released from the urethra, any microbes that may have previously entered or were introduced into the sterile environment of the urinary tract are washed away and released from the body. However, sometimes bacteria … Read more
The objective of this macromolecules lab was to identify the presence any of the major macromolecules in various every day food items. The three macromolecules that this lab was carried out for were carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. There were five different experiments conducted and each of those experiments had one factor in common, they all … Read more