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Bacteria -- Mighty Microbes (December 12, 2003, One)

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Program Summary

Unseen to the naked eye, there is an entire universe of teeming bacteria right under our noses. Bacteria can be found in the air, on the ground, on our bodies, and in pretty much every nook and cranny on Earth. But don’t reach for the disinfectant just yet. Though a relatively small percentage of bacteria can cause harm to humans—think of food poisoning and the bubonic plague—not all bacteria is bad. In fact, without bacteria, life on Earth would grind to a halt.

Bacteria have been around on Earth for billions of years—ever since our planet was a cooling mass of poisonous gasses and volcanic eruptions. Bacteria thrived in the hot, sulfur-rich environment, absorbing chemicals and creating waste products that eventually accumulated and became our breathable atmosphere. Bacteria made our planet livable one belch at a time.

These single-celled wonders help us solve a number of problems that simply being alive creates. Bacteria on our skin help protect us from infection. Bacteria in our intestines help digest our food. Bacteria are responsible for such treats as cheese and yogurt. Some bacteria can be used to create medicines. Other types can break down pollutants and radioactive substances in the environment, as Ira’s guests point out. And some bacteria can even generate electricity that we might someday harness as a fuel supply.

Guests

Barbara Methé, collaborative investigator for The Institute for Genomic Research in Rockville, Maryland

Dr. Derek Lovley, professor and head of the department of microbiology at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

Theodore Eickhoff, M.D., professor of medicine at the Division of Infectious Diseases of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colorado

Related Links and Resources

San Francisco Chronicle, July 14, 2003: “Mining Bacteria's Appetite for Toxic Waste: Researchers Try To Clean Nuclear Sites with Microbes”
Genomic Approaches to Waste Cleanup
University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s Geobacter Project Home Page

For Discussion:

• What are bacteria?
• Where do they live?
• How do bacteria help keep us alive?
• What are some of the negative roles bacteria have played in human history?
• Bacteria are very diverse and can exist in a wide variety of extreme environments. How can this biodiversity benefit us?

Activities

Totally tiny! Stalking the Mysterious Microbe, from the American Society for Microbiology, is an excellent, kid-friendly resource for information and activities about microbes. Microbe Mysteries uses illustrations, diagrams, and text to highlight a variety of concepts from what a microbe is, to the difference between bacteria and viruses, to how bacteria have impacted evolution. The News section lists timely articles about microbes. The Experiment! section has a few well-presented activities. Now You See It, Now You Don’t illustrates biodegradation, and Caught Dirty Handed is a great group activity that underscores the importance of hand washing. There’s even a Careers section with interviews, advice, and information on how to find a mentor.

See for yourself. Cells Alive! has an interesting visual library of microscopic organisms—including video microscopy of bacteria. Students will be able to see a variety of different types of bacteria as well as how they move and divide. Take a trip to the Microbe Zoo and discover the many worlds of unseen microbes. In the Animal Pavilion, students can explore the varieties of bacteria that live in and on humans, cows, and inside termites. Other major attractions of the zoo include Dirt Land, the Snack Bar, and Water World.

Home grown. Bacterial Terrarium from Science Wire is an excellent hands-on experiment that allows students to create colonies of multicolored microbes by using water, mud, paper, and an egg. Explanations and related story links connect bacteria to the headlines and make sound correlations between the experiment, biodiversity, and life on Earth. Petri-fied of Bacteria, from The New York Times Learning Network, has students swabbing a variety of objects in their environment, growing bacterial cultures in petri dishes, and examining both the positive and negative roles bacteria can play.

Bad bugs, good bugs. DiscoverySchool.com’s Curriculum Center has a number of activities, project ideas, and games aimed at piquing interest and enriching a student’s understanding of Bacteria. Beneficial bacteria and the effect they have on environments are explored in Sour Power. Students test out the effectiveness of antibacterial soaps and disinfectants in Antibacterial Action. Project Ideas explore such topics as the bubonic plague, the microbial math of bacterial reproduction, beneficial bacteria, favorite foods created with bacteria, as well as food poisoning.

The X-germs Lifestyles of the Extreme and Adapted from the New York Times Learning Network is a rich lesson based that explores bacterial growth in extreme environments and microbial distribution and evolution. There are outstanding suggestions for follow-up as well as interesting extension activities and cross-curriculum connections. In Survival of the Fittest Microbes, students explore microbes that survive in extreme conditions and apply their scientific findings as they create their own reality show in which the microbes are contestants!

Use the search box below to perform a Google search within any of the specifc sites or general domains mentioned in this Activities section.

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