Microbiology & Me

[convivialyoungster-blog-blog-de]

AP Biology

Awesome. Now all I can smell is e coli. Such an unpleasant sensation in my nostrils!!!

[thecuriousmicrobiologist-blog]

Shoot. Reminds me I forgot to clean the incubator...! ^^;

[23pairsofchromosomes]

Alex Ryan 2015

[medicalillustration-deactivated]

Week 34: CRISPR (mock editorial journal cover) | Cinema 4D, Photoshop

I had a hard time figuring out depth of field and getting the camera in C4D to do exactly what I wanted. I ended up using good ol’ Gaussian blur in Photoshop for the final bits. Because I have pretty simple geometry, my primary focus was colour palette and creating a combination of textures that would be convincing.  Ultimately, I wanted this to be not as ‘editorial’ but more cinematic: as though it could be a shot taken mid-sequence in some sort of scientific documentary. And yes, I threw in some Mean Girls references :P

(SPRING CRITIQUE TODAY!)

EDIT: SO this project was spanning January 'til April. Back in January I had noooo idea what to choose so a friend of mine (she’s a genius - just got accepted to Harvard Law, and thus can’t decide between med or law) and her (also genius) boyfriend suggested I look into CRISPR because it was so hype. Little did I know, but Nature ACTUALLY just published a cover in March about CRISPR! :0

[thecuriousmicrobiologist-blog]

A friend of mine recently gave quite the fitting presentation on this topic in a microbiology seminar. Needless to say, justice was done! It's amazing to know how bacteria can develop genetic immunity to the phages it is prone to!

[permanentdaydreaming-deactivate]

[thecuriousmicrobiologist-blog]

The art should've shown the T cell holding the dying E. coli's hand instead, ne?

[mindblowingscience]

Bacteria can’t cling to ‘repulsive’ new surface

Bacteria can’t stick to a new type of nanoscale surface that could prove useful in food processing, medical, and shipping industries.

The technology uses an electrochemical process called anodization to create nanoscale pores that change the electrical charge and surface energy of a metal surface, which in turn exerts a repulsive force on bacterial cells and prevents attachment and biofilm formation.

Whereas a sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick, these pores can be as small as just 15 nanometers.

When the researchers applied the anodization process to aluminum, it created a nanoporous surface called alumina, which proved effective in preventing surrogates of two well-known pathogens, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes, from attaching, according to the study in Biofouling.

Continue Reading.

[thecuriousmicrobiologist-blog]

Isolation of coliforms on MacConkey agar. See the yellow and pink colonies? The yellow ones are non-fermenters of lactose - a disaccharide - and do not produce organic acids as metabolic wastes. The MacConkey culture medium contains the indicator neutral red, which detects a change in pH. As no acids are produced, the colony does not change colour and appears colourless/yellow. Lac- coliforms include Salmonella, Shigella, etc. The pink colonies are lactose fermenters. They will produce organic acids as a metabolic byproduct of lactose fermentation, which reduces the pH of the surrounding medium. The indicator turns pink in the acidic medium, making the colonies and the surrounding agar appear pink/magenta. Lac+ coliforms include Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, etc. P.S.: Sorry about the reflection and the quality in general… ^^;

[thecuriousmicrobiologist-blog]

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[thecuriousmicrobiologist-blog]

Had a practical for microbial analysis of water and wastewater. The plate on the left is an Endo agar plate. It’s a culture medium that makes Escherichia coli colonies look magenta or exhibit a green metallic sheen over them. It is used as a completed test for microbiological water analysis. Got lot’s of those E. coli but didn’t get too lucky with the sheen though… :( The plate on the right is MacConkey agar, typically selecting Gram -ve bacteria and differentiating between lactose fermenters and non-fermenters. The pink colonies on its surface show that they’re lactose fermenters. One thing I’d definitely conclude is that I take tap water for granted way too much… ^^;