ecology
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Bacillus thuringiensis: the James Bond of biological pest control
In the microscopic world of bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a gram-positive, soil-dwelling microbe is the go-to secret agent for farmers and gardeners worldwide, thanks to its uncanny ability to produce crystal-clear killers. From Silkworms to Superbugs Our story begins in 1902 when Japanese sericultural engineer Ishiwatari Shigetane stumbled upon a mysterious ailment causing silkworms to…
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Detritivores – The Ultimate Recyclers
These marvelous morsels of nature’s cleanup crew are the ultimate recyclers, turning yesterday’s trash into tomorrow’s treasure. Let’s dive into the delightfully dirty world of detritus dining! Imagine a world where your leftovers never go to waste. Well, in nature, that’s exactly what happens thanks to our detritivore friends. These culinary connoisseurs of compost have…
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Delta endotoxins (δ-endotoxins) are pore-forming toxins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis species of bacteria. They are useful for their insecticidal action and are the primary toxin produced by Bt maize/corn.
Bt maize/Bt corn is a variant of maize that has been genetically altered to express one or more proteins from the bacteriumBacillus thuringiensis including Delta endotoxins. During spore formation the bacteria produce crystals of such proteins (hence the name Cry toxins) that are also known as parasporal bodies, next to the endospores; as a result some members are known as a parasporin. The Cyt (cytolytic) toxin group is a group of delta-endotoxins different from…
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Railroad Worms, Glowworm Beetles and Apple Maggots Wiki
Railroad worm Phengodidae Phrixothrix Scientific classification Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Coleoptera Family: Phengodidae Genus: PhrixothrixOlivier, 1909 Species (several) A railroad worm is a larva or larviform female adult of a beetle of the genus Phrixothrix in the family Phengodidae, characterized by the possession of two different colors of bioluminescence. It has the appearance of a caterpillar. The eleven pairs of luminescent organs on their second…
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Aliivibrio fischeri (aka Vibrio fischeri), a bioluminescent bacteria and a glowing squid
Aliivibrio fischeri (also called Vibrio fischeri) is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium found globally in marine environments. This species has bioluminescent properties, and is found predominantly in symbiosis with various marine animals, such as the Hawaiian bobtail squid. It is heterotrophic, oxidase-positive, and motile by means of a single polar flagella. Free-living A. fischeri cells survive on decaying organic matter. The bacterium is a key research organism for examination of microbial bioluminescence, quorum sensing, and bacterial-animal symbiosis. It is named…
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Acidophiles in acid mine drainage
The outflow of acidic liquids and other pollutants from mines is often catalysed by acid-loving microorganisms; these are the acidophiles in acid mine drainage. Acidophiles are not just present in exotic environments such as Yellowstone National Park or deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Genera such as Acidithiobacillus and Leptospirillum bacteria, and Thermoplasmatales archaea, are present in syntrophic relationships in the more mundane environments of concrete sewer pipes and implicated in the heavy-metal-containing, sulfurous waters…
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Biomining or what I suspect “healthcare” (and much of the “food” industry) has been up to for a very, very long time
Biomining is the technique of extracting metals from ores and other solid materials typically using prokaryotes, fungi or plants (phytoextraction also known as phytomining or biomining). These organisms secrete different organic compounds that chelate metals from the environment and bring it back to the cell where they are typically used to coordinate electrons. It was discovered in the mid 1900s that microorganisms…
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Phytoremediation is the use of green plants and the associated microorganisms to remove or render harmless toxic environmental contaminants
Phytoremediation technologies use living plants to clean up soil, air and water contaminated with hazardous contaminants. It is defined as “the use of green plants and the associated microorganisms, along with proper soil amendments and agronomic techniques to either contain, remove or render toxic environmental contaminants harmless”. The term is an amalgam of the Greek phyto (plant) and Latin remedium (restoring balance). Although…
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Phytoextraction Is the Removal of Dangerous Elements or Compounds From Soil or Water by Plants
Phytoextraction is a subprocess of phytoremediation in which plants remove dangerous elements or compounds from soil or water, most usually heavy metals, metals that have a high density and may be toxic to organisms even at relatively low concentrations. The heavy metals that plants extract are toxic to the plants as well, and the plants used for phytoextraction are…
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Phototropins are part of the phototropic sensory system in plants that causes various environmental responses in plants
Phototropins are photoreceptor proteins (more specifically, flavoproteins) that mediate phototropism responses in various species of algae, fungi and higher plants. Note: Flavoproteins are proteins that contain a nucleic acid derivative of riboflavin. These proteins are involved in a wide array of biological processes, including removal of radicals contributing to oxidative stress, photosynthesis, and DNA repair. The flavoproteins are some of the most-studied families of enzymes. Flavoproteins have either FMN (flavin mononucleotide) or FAD…
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