Tuesday, January 15, 2013

"Wolfe, these things aren’t even bacteria!" A Exposition on Archaea


Carl Woese died Dec. 30. Woese remains little known, even among non-microbial biologists but particularly among the public. He endured a decade or more of skepticism, ridicule, and ostracism before his observations were accepted and was deeply hurt by the initial reaction [...] In recent years, some — including the editorial board at Nature Reviews Microbiology — pushed for Woese to receive the Nobel prize for his contributions. Now, that will never happen.

But Woese is not the only unsung hero in this story. The organisms he revealed — the archaea — are fascinating and abundant creatures, yet are hardly ever discussed in depth, even within the confines of microbiology classes. That is a shame. Archaea are everywhere — in deep sea vents, in salt flats, in ice, in sea water, in soil, and in you. And they deserve better publicity.

Go. Read. They Are AWESOME.

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