PPT 1

• Microbiology


  A specialized area of biology that deals with tiny life forms that are not readily observed without magnification, which is to say they are microscopic

  
• Microbiology is sometimes regarded as an esoteric science, concerned primarily with keeping the milk fresh and getting everyone to wash their hands
• Microbiology encompasses a number of interrelated disciplines, a rich history, and more organisms than any other branch of biology
• Major groups of microorganisms

  • Eubacteria
  • Archaea
  • Viruses
  • Protozoa
  • Algae (certain types)
  • Fungi (certain types)
• Nature of microorganisms


  • Easy to study because they reproduce so rapidly and can usually be grown in large numbers in the laboratory
  • Difficult to study because we can't observe or analyze them without special techniques, especially the use of microscopes
• What microbiologists study


  • Cell structure and function
  • Growth and physiology
  • Genetics
  • Taxonomy and evolutionary history
  • Interactions with living and nonliving environment
  • Characteristics that may be harmful or beneficial
  • Uses in industry and agriculture

  
• Specialty professions in microbiology

  • Geomicrobiologists
  • Marine microbiologists
  • Medical technologists
  • Nurse epidemiologists
  • Astrobiologists
• Geomicrobiologists focus on the roles of microbes in the development of earth's crust
• Marine microbiologists study the oceans and its smallest inhabitants
• Medical technologists do the tests that help diagnose pathogenic microbes and diseases associated with them
• Nurse epidemiologists analyze the occurrence of infectious diseases in hospitals
• Astrobiologists study the possibilities of organisms in space