#marine bacteria

[wikipediapictures]

Plastic degradation by marine bacteria

“Plastic waste pollution on Singapore beach.” - via Wikimedia Commons

[mugene-art]

gifts for microbio and paleo enthusiasts! :DD

[unbfacts]

[pinnipediia]

Leptospirosis in California Sea Lions

With the arrival of August comes the return of the California sea lions to our area of the coast, and with the sea lions comes leptospirosis. 7/31/23 is when I first heard the sounds of their barking in the bay from my apartment, which was the first sign of their return from migration.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that's caused by the Leptospira bacteria. Lepto outbreaks have occurred in Cali sea lions in our area throughout the years, and it tends to occur in two-year time periods every 4-5 years or so. i.e., if a lepto outbreak occurs one year, it's common for it to occur for one more year afterwards.

Usually, pinnipeds don't need to drink fresh water since they get their water from their food. Lepto, however, damages their kidneys which ends up dehydrating the sea lions. This means that occasionally Cali sea lions will seek out water. My mentor told me about one sea lion that wandered far out of the water into a neighborhood one summer, dazed and disoriented and looking for fresh water!

Leptospirosis can be passed from animals to humans through direct contact, primarily through urine, so keep your pets leashed and keep your distance from wild animals!

[earthjournalbyawildrose]

sacrēd circle paintings by Artist Rose Eads

No.33 + No.100 𖦹 shop art .:. source

[willtheweaver]

(Please no vanilla extract or micro plastics this time—pollution is no laughing matter)

[aut2imagineart]

I got inspired to create this piece after reading recent articles about Jupiter's moon Europa.  They were mostly talking about how though it produces enough oxygen per day to allow 1 million humans to breath, it may not be enough for life on the moon itself to thrive.  These articles seem to ignore the existence of life on Earth that can survive on little to no oxygen.  These are mainly bacteria but there are animals that have adapted to withstand low oxygen levels, such as icefish and Loricifera, even no oxygen at all such a salmon parasite called Henneguya Salmiinicola.  The organisms in this piece (some not shown due to being microscopic) are inspired by the aforementioned lifeforms and I will dedicate a piece to them to describe them in detail.

A side note, there as also some articles that talked about how Europa may actually not have hydrothermal vents after all.  I'm still holding out hope and we should learn more once NASA's Clipper satellite arrives there.

As always, comments and critiques are welcome.

[mediocrephd]

My last post about life found under hydrothermal vents got me really interested in the process behind chemosynthesis!

So I found this really helpful fact sheet from the US government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:

(it was free to find and download, so I assume I'm fine to share it here)

[thinkingnot]

unsuspecting pond owner: woah my water looks so red and funky haha

the fishes: >x))))>><

[falseandrealultravival]

Shogoin radish marinated in kimchi (cooking)

Finished

Shogoin radish

Set

Press

Shogoin daikon is a slightly spherical, swollen radish. This time, I sliced it along the "latitude" to about 4 mm, put it in a pickle container with kimchi that was chopped and mixed with salt, put it in a pickle container, and weighted it for a week until it became about 2 mm thick. The radishes were soaked with seeping water. I took it in half, cut it up and served it for dinner. You can definitely feel the sourness and saltiness.

The reason I use kimchi is because the lactic acid bacteria in kimchi helps the radish to ferment and prevent it from spoiling. Keep the other half in the marinade for a little more fermentation.

聖護院大根のキムチ漬け（料理）

聖護院大根は、やや球状で、膨れた大根。今回は、これを「緯度」に沿って７ｍｍくらいにスライスし、間に、刻んで塩と混ぜたキムチを挟んで漬物容器に入れ重しをして１週間、４ｍｍくらいの厚さになったか。滲出した水で、大根はひたひただった。半分取り出して切り、夕食に供した。酸味と塩味が確かに感じられる。

キムチを使うのは、私の発案で、キムチの持つ乳酸菌で大根の発酵を助け、あわせて腐造しないようにするため。半分は、もうすこし発酵させるために、漬け続ける。

(2023.01.22)

[chikennougatman]

Wow this stuff is so cool

Like

Excuse me, what!?

All of this stuff is so cool. The world is a weird and interesting place. Thanks for sharing

Evil biology facts that fill me with Fear :)

hey, I heard y’all like evil biology facts like knowledge about horse blood types.

well! today I was researching alternative biochemistries extraterrestrial life could use and. man. I think Earth life is fucked up enough for me thanks

biological dark matter. WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY BLOOD HAS DNA IN IT FROM NO KNOWN SOURCE. YOU CAN’T JUST SAY THAT COME BACK HERE

One specific cave that has been sealed for 5.5 million years and has developed an ecosystem completely dependent on chemosynthetic bacteria.

Was anybody going to tell me that bacteria have decided iron is yummy and are eating the Titanic, or was I supposed to just read that myself

Terrible Berry (yes, that’s what the genus name means). This whole thing is so fucked up. These scientists were testing whether radiation could be used to kill pathogens in food, so they dosed a tin of meat with enough radiation to kill any known living organism (as one does) but guess what, it still fucking spoiled because of THIS BASTARD FUCKER.

(seriously, why is it like this? WHY has a bacterium evolved to chill in radioactive waste like it’s a soothing Jacuzzi tub? What does it know that we don’t know?)

(ANSWERS. I WANT ANSWERS, YOU CHERNOBYL ASS BITCH.)

Cursed worm, which has no mouth or digestive system and depends entirely on five (5) different species of bacteria, which consume hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen monoxide, and carbon monoxide, for food. How do you, a worm, even...figure out how to do...all that?

Bone worms. At least they like their bones already dead. I still could have gone without knowing this was a thing.

“Oh, parasitic plant, that sounds c—WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING”

I am like half convinced this is made up. Seriously, bacteria grow their own electrical wires and we just let them?

[mugene-art]

Biology Keychains - Diatoms and Soil Bacteria!

Designed by me, available now on my Etsy!

[maximumsquidcarnage]

YES Baby, i would still love you if you are riftia pachyptila and just live in a symbioses with me. Yes, even though i could not see you i would still love you.

[my-chemical-rot]

what’s your favorite sea creature?

Big big fan of whitespotted bamboo sharks. They are so so so adorable and sweet <3 I also love giant squids because I had a cryptozoology phase as a kid. plus I like watching them fight sperm whales

[kstarvibes]

Choose Environmentally Friendly Sunscreens: Protecting Marine Life

Sunscreen plays a vital role in protecting our skin from the harmful effects of the sun, especially during the summer months. However, it’s important to be aware of the impact that certain sunscreen ingredients can have on marine life, particularly coral reefs. In this article, we will explore the key concerns associated with sunscreen use and highlight alternative options that are both effective…