1. What is microbiology?
Levels of Hierarchy and Organization in Living Systems
What are the functional characteristics of life?
Larry Frolich, Molecules and Diffusion

2. Wiki Brainstorm
What are characteristics of Life? What makes something alive?
Larry Frolich, Molecules and Diffusion

3. “Primordial Soup”
Early 70’s experiments to show possibility for spontaneous generation of life molecules
Today: several labs working on assembling “de novo” micro-oranisms, from scratch or or from others (links coming)
Larry Frolich, Molecules and Diffusion

4. Molecules of Life C-chain Component Main Functions
Larry Frolich, Molecules and Diffusion

5. Microbiology in the Hierarchy of Life
Molecules
Cells
Tissues
Organisms
Environment
Larry Frolich, Molecules and Diffusion

6. Levels of Organization
Molecular Level (Molecular Biology
Chemical Level (Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry)
Cellular Level (Intro. or Cell Biology): organelles, genes, mitosis, meiosis
Tissue Level (Histology): groups of cells with common function, living together, usually of same species—colony form and structure, division of cell types, formation of multicellular structures.
Organism (Physiology and Genetics) : Single cell or grouping of cells working together in environment)
Environment (Ecology, Epidemiology): Relationship between microbes and environment, other organisms—including humans—in environment.
ALL MICROBIOLOGY!!
Larry Frolich, Molecules and Diffusion

7. History of Microbiology
History of Microbiology [link]
Important events
Larry Frolich, Molecules and Diffusion

8. Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (1670’s)
Larry Frolich, Molecules and Diffusion

9. Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) No spontaneous generation of life
Life comes from other life
Larry Frolich, Molecules and Diffusion

10. Other key events Early 1900’s—sterile technique
Florence Nightengale—aseptic technique in nursing starting in 1850’s
Edward Jenner (1789)—vaccines (note early date!)
Modern times
Avery, Beadle—role of genes, DNA
Linus Pauling, Carl Woese—DNA sequence and evolutionary relationships
Recombinant DNA technology—now widespread
What is to come?
Larry Frolich, Molecules and Diffusion

11. The importance of Diffusion
Diffusion versus Osmosis (diffusion across a membrane)
Diffusion fast and effective across microscopic distance
Virtually all living processes involve diffusion and/or osmosis
Cell membranes control diffusion and allow for life chemical reactions to take place
Diffusion allows cells to tissues to function…or is how cells function
Cell membranes and Diffusion
Larry Frolich, Molecules and Diffusion