On page 97-99, Moalem talks about how millions of microbes live in our bodies and how the microbes evolve with humans. He explains that since microscopic organisms evolve with humans the microbes allow humans to evolve with selective advantages or disadvantages.The microbes infectious agents have directly related to our bodies response to diseases. Also there are over a thousand different varites of foreign microbes and numbering to 10-100 trillion. For example there are intestinal bacteria, or gut flora, which help to create energy by breaking down food products. On the other hand there are also harmful bacteria in cluding Neisseria meningitids, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumonia which cause meningitis, toxi shock syndrome and pneumonia. This relates to big idea 4: biological systems interact and these systems and thier interactions possess complex properties.
Research how scientists can utilize these microbes in order to allow humans to evolve and develop selective advantages. Also see if there are options and cures for people already affected by harmful microbes. Also explore how humans would have developed without microbes. Would this development have a negative or positive affect on humans. Explore the how each microbe is able to interact with the human body and with each other. From this see what beneficial and harmful effects are seen through these interactions.
(Jimmy Wang, jimmypelewang@gmail.com)
Scientists can use microbes to convert electricity into methane gas. Scientists in both Stanford and Penn State Universities are raising colonies of microbes called methanogens, which
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One harmful bacteria is mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is the bacteria that causes most cases of tuberculosis. Currently there is only one vaccine for Tuberculosis, bacillus
Calmette-Guerin. The downside to this vaccine is that while it is very effective against
Tuberculosis during childhood, the vaccine is inconsistent against pulmonary tuberculosis, and
the vaccine also tends to decrease in effectiveness after roughly 10 years.
How would humans have developed without microbes? We wouldn't have developed at all, or at
least to the way we are currently. First of all bacteria helps with nitrogen fixation in
plants, and plants help procude oxygen for us to breath. Even if we were still alive without
plants, good bacteria that lives on the skin, preventing the harmful bacteria from entering the body, will no longer be there, potentially allowing harmful pathogens to enter the body
unhindered. This development is definitely negative, as chances are many people will not
survive for long, and those who do will not be enjoying their time.
Microbes interact with the human body by living on the skin and providing a barrier for the bad pathogens from entering the body. Microbes are also present in saliva and the stomach. These microbes are beneficial.
(Ray Lee, rclee4@students.d125.org )