Download or read book Bacteria as Multicellular Organisms written by James Alan Shapiro and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 490 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bacteria as Multicellular Organisms is the first book devoted specifically to multicellular aspects of bacterial life. Contrary to conventional wisdom, which treats bacteria as autonomous single cells, this book shows how bacteria are sentient, interactive organisms with an unexpectedly broad repertoire of chemical and physical mechanisms for signalling each other and organizing themselves into multicellular aggregates with novel properties. The book has been compiled from reports by specialists in a variety of disciplines from genetics and microbiology to environmental engineering and biotechnology. This interdisciplinary approach reflects the growing importance of bacteria as key experimental material for investigating phenomena common to many fields in contemporary science: communication, complexity, self-organization, and pattern formation. The impact of bacterial multicellularity will affect such diverse areas as evolutionary population biology, non-linear dynamics, and information science.
Download or read book Inanimate Life written by George M. Briggs and published by . This book was released on 2021-07-16 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Molecular Biology of the Cell written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Unicellular Organisms written by L. Patricia Kite and published by Capstone Classroom. This book was released on 2009 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Describes what unicellular organisms are and what they can do to the body, covering such topics as bacteria, viruses, and body defenses.
Download or read book The Search for Life s Origins written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1990-02-01 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The field of planetary biology and chemical evolution draws together experts in astronomy, paleobiology, biochemistry, and space science who work together to understand the evolution of living systems. This field has made exciting discoveries that shed light on how organic compounds came together to form self-replicating molecules-the origin of life. This volume updates that progress and offers recommendations on research programs-including an ambitious effort centered on Mars-to advance the field over the next 10 to 15 years. The book presents a wide range of data and research results on these and other issues: The biogenic elements and their interaction in the interstellar clouds and in solar nebulae. Early planetary environments and the conditions that lead to the origin of life. The evolution of cellular and multicellular life. The search for life outside the solar system. This volume will become required reading for anyone involved in the search for life's beginnings-including exobiologists, geoscientists, planetary scientists, and U.S. space and science policymakers.
Download or read book A Closer Look at Bacteria Algae and Protozoa written by Britannica Educational Publishing and published by Britannica Educational Publishing. This book was released on 2011-05-01 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bacteria, algae, and protozoamicroorganisms that are easily overlooked in our daily livescan be found in a wide variety of locations and serve innumerable ecological purposes. While some such organisms have been associated with disease, they have also been invaluable in agriculture and in the production of certain foods, medicines, and other necessities. This informative volume examines the properties and uses of these powerful and essential life forms. Graphic organizers and detailed images bring the miniscule details of these entities to the forefront.
Download or read book The Evolution of Multicellularity written by Matthew D. Herron and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2022-06-07 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Among the most important innovations in the history of life is the transition from single-celled organisms to more complex, multicellular organisms. Multicellularity has evolved repeatedly across the tree of life, resulting in the evolution of new kinds of organisms that collectively constitute a significant portion of Earth’s biodiversity and have transformed the biosphere. This volume examines the origins and subsequent evolution of multicellularity, reviewing the types of multicellular groups that exist, their evolutionary relationships, the processes that led to their evolution, and the conceptual frameworks in which their evolution is understood. This important volume is intended to serve as a jumping-off point, stimulating further research by summarizing the topics that students and researchers of the evolution of multicellularity should be familiar with, and highlighting future research directions for the field. Chapter 13 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.
Download or read book Oxford Textbook of Cancer Biology written by Francesco Pezzella and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019-05-02 with total page 505 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study of the biology of tumours has grown to become markedly interdisciplinary, involving chemists, statisticians, epidemiologists, mathematicians, bioinformaticians, and computer scientists alongside biologists, geneticists, and clinicians. The Oxford Textbook of Cancer Biology brings together the most up-to-date developments from different branches of research into one coherent volume, providing a comprehensive and current account of this rapidly evolving field. Structured in eight sections, the book starts with a review of the development and biology of multi-cellular organisms, how they maintain a healthy homeostasis in an individual, and a description of the molecular basis of cancer development. The book then illustrates, as once cells become neoplastic, their signalling network is altered and pathological behaviour follows. It explores the changes that cancer cells can induce in nearby normal tissue, the new relationship established between them and the stroma, and the interaction between the immune system and tumour growth. The authors illustrate the contribution provided by high throughput techniques to map cancer at different levels, from genomic sequencing to cellular metabolic functions, and how information technology, with its vast amounts of data, is integrated with traditional cell biology to provide a global view of the disease. The effect of the different types of treatments on the biology of the neoplastic cells are explored to understand on the one side, why some treatments succeed, and on the other, how they can affect the biology of resistant and recurrent disease. The book concludes by summarizing what we know to date about cancer, and in what direction our understanding of cancer is moving. Edited by leading authorities in the field with an international team of contributors, this book is an essential resource for scholars and professionals working in the wide variety of sub-disciplines that make up today's cancer research and treatment community. It is written not only for consultation, but also for easy cover-to-cover reading.
Download or read book The Diversity of Life written by Robert Snedden and published by Capstone Classroom. This book was released on 2007-08-25 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores all aspects of cells, including brief overviews of important scientific achievements in the field.
Download or read book Beneficial Microorganisms in Multicellular Life Forms written by Eugene Rosenberg and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-08-30 with total page 343 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: All animals and plants form associations with hundreds or thousands of different beneficial microorganisms. These symbiotic microbes play an important role in the development, adaptation, health and evolution of their hosts. This book brings together a group of diverse biologists to discuss microbial interactions with multicellular life forms including insects, corals, plants, and mammals, including humans. The various mechanisms by which microorganisms benefit their hosts are discussed, including providing essential nutrients, preventing disease, inducing the immune system, and combating stress. Since the microbiota can be transferred from parent to offspring, it plays an important role in the origin and evolution of animal and plant species. This book should be of interest to the widest range of biological scientists, merging the studies of host and microbial physiology, symbiosis, and the ecology and evolution of symbiotic partners.
Download or read book Gravity and the Behavior of Unicellular Organisms written by Donat-Peter Häder and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2005-01-17 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unicellular organisms use gravity as an environmental guide to reach and stay in regions optimal for their growth and reproduction. These single cells play a significant role in food webs and these factors together make the effects of gravity on unicellular organisms a fascinating and important subject for scientific study. In addition, they present valuable model systems for studying the mechanisms of gravity perception, a topic of increasing interest in these days of experimentation in space. This book reveals how single cells achieve the same sensoric capacity as multicellular organisms like plants or animals. It reviews the field, discussing the historical background, ecological significance and related physiology of unicellular organisms, as well as various experimental techniques and models with which to study them. Those working on the biology of unicellular organisms, as well as in related areas of gravitational and space science will find this book of value.
Download or read book Comparative Ecology of Microorganisms and Macroorganisms written by John H. Andrews and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The most important feature of the modern synthetic theory of evolution is its foundation upon a great variety of biological disciplines. -G. L. STEBBINS, 1968, p. 17 This book is written with the goal of presenting ecologically significant anal ogies between the biology of microorganisms and macroorganisms. I consider such parallels to be important for two reasons. First, they serve to emphasize that however diverse life may be, there are common themes at the ecological level (not to mention other levels). Second, research done with either microbes or macroorganisms has implications which transcend a particular field of study. Although both points may appear obvious, the fact remains that at tempts to forge a conceptual synthesiS are astonishingly meager. While unify ing concepts may not necessarily be strictly correct, they enable one to draw analogies across disciplines. New starting points are discovered as a conse quence, and new ways of looking at things emerge. The macroscopic organisms ('macroorganisms') include most represen tatives of the plant and animal kingdoms. I interpret the term 'microorganism' (microbe) literally to mean the small or microscopic forms of life, and I include in this category the bacteria, the protists (excluding the macroscopic green, brown, and red algae), and the fungi. Certain higher organisms, such as many of the nematodes, fall logically within this realm, but are not discussed at any length.
Download or read book The Social Biology of Microbial Communities written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2013-01-10 with total page 633 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beginning with the germ theory of disease in the 19th century and extending through most of the 20th century, microbes were believed to live their lives as solitary, unicellular, disease-causing organisms . This perception stemmed from the focus of most investigators on organisms that could be grown in the laboratory as cellular monocultures, often dispersed in liquid, and under ambient conditions of temperature, lighting, and humidity. Most such inquiries were designed to identify microbial pathogens by satisfying Koch's postulates.3 This pathogen-centric approach to the study of microorganisms produced a metaphorical "war" against these microbial invaders waged with antibiotic therapies, while simultaneously obscuring the dynamic relationships that exist among and between host organisms and their associated microorganisms-only a tiny fraction of which act as pathogens. Despite their obvious importance, very little is actually known about the processes and factors that influence the assembly, function, and stability of microbial communities. Gaining this knowledge will require a seismic shift away from the study of individual microbes in isolation to inquiries into the nature of diverse and often complex microbial communities, the forces that shape them, and their relationships with other communities and organisms, including their multicellular hosts. On March 6 and 7, 2012, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Forum on Microbial Threats hosted a public workshop to explore the emerging science of the "social biology" of microbial communities. Workshop presentations and discussions embraced a wide spectrum of topics, experimental systems, and theoretical perspectives representative of the current, multifaceted exploration of the microbial frontier. Participants discussed ecological, evolutionary, and genetic factors contributing to the assembly, function, and stability of microbial communities; how microbial communities adapt and respond to environmental stimuli; theoretical and experimental approaches to advance this nascent field; and potential applications of knowledge gained from the study of microbial communities for the improvement of human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health and toward a deeper understanding of microbial diversity and evolution. The Social Biology of Microbial Communities: Workshop Summary further explains the happenings of the workshop.
Download or read book Coherent Imaging from Bacteria to Multicellular Organisms written by Séverine Coquoz and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mots-clés de l'autrice: coherent imaging ; quantitative phase microscopy (QPM) ; quantitative phase imaging (QPI) ; piezo-based Fourier phase microscopy (pFPM) ; optical coherence microscopy (OCM) ; extended-focus (xf) ; extended interferometric synthetic aperture microscopy (xISAM) ; coherent transfer function (CTF) ; bacterial growth ; 3D morphological imaging.
Download or read book The Amoeba in the Room written by Nicholas P. Money and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2014-02-20 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A cup of seawater contains 100 million cells, which are preyed upon by billions of viruses. Fifty million tons of fungal spores are released into the atmosphere every year. And the human gut is home to somewhere between 500 and 1,000 species of bacteria. The more we learn about microbial biodiversity, the clearer it becomes that the vast majority of life has long gone unseen, and unobserved. The flowering of microbial science is revolutionizing biology and medicine in ways unimagined only a few years ago, and is inspiring a new view of what it means to be alive. In The Amoeba in the Room, Nicholas Money explores the extraordinary breadth of the microbial world and the vast swathes of biological diversity that can be detected only using molecular methods. Although biologists have achieved a remarkable level of understanding about the way multicellular organisms operate, Money shows that most people continue to ignore the fact that most of life isn't classified as either plant or animal. Significant discoveries about the composition of the biosphere are making it clear that the sciences have failed to comprehend the full spectrum of life on earth, which is far more diverse than previously imagined. Money's engaging work considers this diversity in all its forms, exploring environments from the backyard pond to the ocean floor to the "mobile ecosystem" of our own bodies. A revitalized vision of life emerges from Money's lively narrative of the lowly, one in which we are challenged to reconsider our existence in proper relationship to the single-celled protists, bacteria, and viruses that constitute most of life on earth. Proposing a radical reformulation of biology education and research in the life sciences, The Amoeba in the Room is a compelling romp through the least visible and yet most prodigiously magnificent aspects of life on earth.
Download or read book First Signals written by John Tyler Bonner and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2009-09-11 with total page 159 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The enormous recent success of molecular developmental biology has yielded a vast amount of new information on the details of development. So much so that we risk losing sight of the underlying principles that apply to all development. To cut through this thicket, John Tyler Bonner ponders a moment in evolution when development was at its most basic--the moment when signaling between cells began. Although multicellularity arose numerous times, most of those events happened many millions of years ago. Many of the details of development that we see today, even in simple organisms, accrued over a long evolutionary timeline, and the initial events are obscured. The relatively uncomplicated and easy-to-grow cellular slime molds offer a unique opportunity to analyze development at a primitive stage and perhaps gain insight into how early multicellular development might have started. Through slime molds, Bonner seeks a picture of the first elements of communication between cells. He asks what we have learned by looking at their developmental biology, including recent advances in our molecular understanding of the process. He then asks what is the most elementary way that polarity and pattern formation can be achieved. To find the answer, he uses models, including mathematical ones, to generate insights into how cell-to-cell cooperation might have originated. Students and scholars in the blossoming field of the evolution of development, as well as evolutionary biologists generally, will be interested in what Bonner has to say about the origins of multicellular development--and thus of the astounding biological complexity we now observe--and how best to study it.
Download or read book The Quest for a Universal Theory of Life written by Carol E. Cleland and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-09-12 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores fundamental philosophical and scientific questions about the nature of life, particularly in relation to the search for extraterrestrial life.
