Description
This episode: Simple microscopic animals can survive extreme radiation by ejecting damaged cells that might otherwise become cancer!
Download Episode (7.3 MB, 9.2 minutes)
Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Helleborus net necrosis virus
News item
Takeaways
Any multicellular organism with different types of cells needs some sort of cell regulation, to keep each cell type doing what it’s supposed to do for the good of the organism as a whole. We know what happens when this regulation fails and one type of cells starts multiplying out of control: cancer.
However, cancer has never yet been observed in certain organisms, including the simple microscopic animal Trichoplax adhaerens. In this study, these animals are exposed to large amounts of radiation and then observed over years to see if they can develop cancer or have interesting mechanisms of resisting it.
Journal Paper:
Fortunato A, Fleming A, Aktipis A, Maley CC. 2021. Upregulation of DNA repair genes and cell extrusion underpin the remarkable radiation resistance of Trichoplax adhaerens. PLOS Biol 19:e3001471.
Other interesting stories:
Genes transferred from bacteria to algae helped land plants evolve
Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening!
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, or RSS. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook.
This episode: A virus partners with a parasitoid wasp to help exploit fruit fly victims!
Download Episode (7.7 MB, 11.2 minutes)
Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Actinomadura livida
Takeaways
Parasitoid wasps have an interesting lifestyle: they inject their eggs into the larvae of other...
Published 03/11/24
This episode: Many organisms produce the smell of earth, geosmin, and many others can sense it–but why?
Download Episode (6.0 MB, 8.7 minutes)
Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Acidianus spindle-shaped virus 1
News item
Takeaways
The smell of soil or earth is one of the most...
Published 01/29/24
This episode: Slime mold amoebas Fonticula alba have interesting and unique foraging and reproductive behaviors!
Download Episode (7.3 MB, 10.6 minutes)
Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Cajanus cajan Panzee virus
News item
Takeaways
How did life develop from single-celled organisms...
Published 12/11/23