a thoughtful web.
Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking.   Login or Take a Tour!
comment
Pribnow  ·  3576 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: What science excites you?

CRISPR-Cas system, a form of adaptive immunity in prokaryotes that was relatively recently discovered and is being used as an alternative method for gene splicing/regulation. It also opens up all kinds of doors as far as our understanding of bacteriophage interactions and, potentially, improved success with phage therapy.

Also bioprecipitation. Bacteria that flake off of plant leaves, get taken up into the atmosphere by simple wind currents, and that then act as nucleation sites for ice precipitation and subsequent rain or snow. It's not only a brilliant reproductive mechanism, it's been found to significantly influence patterns of precipitation on the ground. There's a lot of work being done into possible ways to utilize these bacteria both for plant health (some species that do this are equivalent to our natural microbiome, they don't harm the plant and outcompete potential pathogens) and for influencing local weather patterns in places like Africa.

I'm a microbiologist in training (unsurprisingly).