Pathogens!! In this episode, we will be talking about fungus, archaea, bacteria, virus, and prions specifically as they relate to the human condition. ____________ So, two bacteria walk into a grungy bar.  The bartender says, "We don't serve bacteria here!" And, the bacteria says, "But, we work here. We're staph." “Why did the mushroom get invited to the party?” “Because he’s a fungi.” LOL, I didn’t have a good bacteria song, so I Googled jokes about bacteria.  So, you’re welcome for the dad jokes to start this episode. If you haven’t figured it out, we’re going to be talking about bacteria, archaea, fungi, viruses, and prions in this episode. Welcome to the Cellfie life.  This is Nikaela, and I wanted to thank all of you for listening, and rating, and reviewing, and subscribing. If you are enjoying the podcast and want to help support the production of it, I have set up a Patreon page where you can support the podcast for as little as 25-cents an episode!  Which is $1 a month.  Your contribution helps me pay hosting sites and my editors and really allows me to keep putting this content out there. So, check out Patreon if you want to help me keep making these podcasts. You can also support the podcasts by just subscribing, rating, reviewing, [and] telling your friends about it.  If you have questions, comments, corrections, please let me know.  The best way to reach me is on Instagram @t-h-i-s- c-e-l-l-f-i-e life or the website cellfielife.com. I post the script notes on the site, and I post MCAT review questions on my story just about every day.  Now, let's talk about those tiny little prokaryotes.  Question (Q): Do you remember the difference between prokaryotes and eukaryotes? Simple Answer (A): Prokaryotes do not have membrane-bound organelles; eukaryotes do have membrane-bound organelles.  Okay, let’s meet the pro’s, and by the pro’s I mean those amazing prokaryotes that can: Survive in extreme environments, form symbiotic environments, replicate in many different ways... Some can survive with oxygen and without, meaning they can adjust their metabolism to meet the demands of their environment. They are pretty cool! And, eukaryotes are the true nucleus, so are membrane-bound organelles—which is what our cells are—but we will talk about that next episode when we go into cells, specifically our cells.  So, prokaryotes are super simple: they don’t have membrane-bound organelles, and their DNA is usually concentrated in an area called the nucleoid region. We’re going to talk about the pro’s (the prokaryotes) but, first, let's do a quick rundown of taxonomic ranks.  So there are eight basic taxonomic categories; this doesn't include subspecies. Taxonomic ranks are just a way of classifying things in a step-down method where organisms are split into more specific groups.  The order from broadest to narrowest categorization  Domain Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species How are we going to keep these taxonomic ranks in the correct order? Obviously, we're gonna use a mnemonic device. Dumb Kids Playing Cards On Freeway Get Smashed—I like this one because it sounds like a news headline.  There is also King Philip Came Over For Ginger Snaps!  But,