Jennifer Stearns

When you're studying microbiology, you need to know the key differences between the three domains of life, how scientists name and classify organisms, and how scientists identify microorganisms.Differences among bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotic microorganismsThere are three domains of life: bacteria (also known as eubacteria), archaea, and eukarya.

There are three domains of life: Bacteria (also known as Eubacteria), Archaea, and Eukarya. The Bacteria and Archaea are made up entirely of microorganisms; the Eukarya contains plants, animals, and microorganisms such as fungi and protists. The Bacteria and Archaea have been grouped together and called Prokaryotes because of their lack of a nucleus, but the Archaea are more closely related to the Eukaryotes than to the Bacteria.

Vaccines have been essential in eradicating or preventing life-altering diseases, but lately, they've come under fire. Here are some common myths about vaccines: Myth 1: Vaccines aren't actually necessary. The truth is that vaccines have been essential to reducing rates of childhood illnesses. Before vaccines, 25 percent of children died before the age of 5 from pneumonia, diarrhea, measles, pertussis, or rubella, among other diseases.

Since the 19th century, there has been an explosion of great microbiological research, leading to many different branches of microbiology, all of which are both basic and applied in nature. Here’s a list of the different fields of microbiology that have developed since the discovery of microorganisms: Aquatic, soil, and agricultural microbiology study the microorganisms associated with aquatic (including wastewater treatment systems), soil, and agricultural environments, respectively.

The habitat is an important concept in biology and microbiology in particular because microorganisms are greatly affected by where they live. Microbial habitats — including soils, rivers, lakes, oceans, on the surface of living and dead things, inside other organisms, on man-made structures, and everything in between — provide nutrients and protect cells from harsh conditions.

RNA is made through transcription, where an enzyme called RNA polymerase transcribes the DNA sequence into a complementary version with the use of free RNA nucleotides. Three of the bases (adenine, guanine, and cytosine) are the same as in DNA, but the fourth (thymine) is replaced by uracil in RNA. Also, the backbone is slightly different, containing a ribose instead of a deoxyribose sugar.

Unlike the physical requirements where a specific range or concentration is necessary for optimum growth, the chemical requirements just need to be present in the environment and a microbe will use what it needs. Microbes use compounds containing the following elements and vitamins to make everything in the cell including membranes, proteins, and nucleic acids: Carbon: Carbon is necessary for all life.

Since the beginning of their widespread use in 1943, antibiotics have saved countless lives and changed the way medicine is practiced. Before their discovery, people suffered or died from infectious diseases that today are a mere annoyance, like sexually transmitted diseases and post-operative infections. Today antibiotics are essential in treating life-threatening bacterial infections, like pneumonia and sepsis, and are used preventively in a number of medical procedures (like surgery) and treatments (like cystic fibrosis).