

TED Talk:  Bonnie Bassler: Discovering bacteria's amazing communication system - amichail
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/bonnie_bassler_on_how_bacteria_communicate.html

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Bjoern
For those people who like to read instead of watch:

Bateria

    
    
      o oldest living things
    
      o very few genes
    
      o consume nutients
    
      o grow and divide themselves
    
      o good and bad Bacteria
    
      o Considered before as "a-social reclusive organisms"
    
    

Human

    
    
      o Trillian Human cells
    
      o 10 Trillion Baterial cells
    
      o DNA counts, 100 times more Baterial life than you are Human
    
      o Bateria cover us outside, they make our vitamins, etc. They are vital for us.
    
    

Case Study: Vibrio Fischeri (3:00)

    
    
      o makes biolumencense
    
      o they make only light in a special situation
    
      o alone no light, 
    
      o secretes small "hormon" type substances to communicate
    
      o after a certain level of "hormon" type substance is gathered they "turn on"
    
      o Bacterial Quorum Sensing 
    
        - They have a Signal Producing Protein)
    
        - They have also a Signal Receptor Protein
    
        - Locks on Proteins then Group Behaior Genes are 

activiated

Case Study: Squid (5:00)

    
    
      o squid uses those Bacteria in symbiosis
    
      o buries itself in sand during day
    
      o senses moonlight with a special eye like organ on the back
    
      o analogy "stealth bomber of the ocean"
    
      o only active during night
    
      o pumps up bacteria if needed to make light
    
    

Quorum Sensing in Bacteria (9:10)

    
    
      o All bacteria can actually talk to each other.
    
      o Bacteria are multi-cellular
    
      o Bacteria can distinguish self from other
    
      o Quorum Sensing, every bacteria can "vote"
    
        - "counting your neighbors"
    
      o the most votes get carried out
    
      o Bacterial control patogens with Quorum Sensing.
    
        - growing while doing nothing, then when enough numbers 

attack

    
    
      o Bacteria can develop strategies to impede/improve 

quiorum sensing

    
    
      o Display of different molecules
    
        - left hand part of the molecule is same only right part is slightly different
    
        - each bacteria uses a special right hand side version of vibrio fischeri
    
        - In-trust species communication by unique molecule types
    
      o Bacteria are multi-lingual. They can also communicate Inter-Species. (11:40)
    
        - There is a bacteria molecule which is always the same
    
      o Chemicals are their "word"
    
    

New Anti-Biotics (12:30)

    
    
      o Can we disturb communication of them so that they can't release pathogens?
    
      o Two strategies
    
        - disturbing -> targeting intra-species communication (works, mouse)
    
        - disturbing -> targeting inter-species comm.
    
      o This will be the next generation of Anti-Biotics
    
    

Future work (15:30)

    
    
      o Study bacterials because they have been longer around then us
    
      o Application to other Human diseses and behaviors
    
      o Anti- but also Pro- Quorum Sensing bacteria
    
        - Making you more healthy
    
      o Her team (17:20)

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kowsik
biological social networking!

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yan
.. as opposed to? :)

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Rod
To be precise, kowsik probably meant "non-human biological social networking"
;-)

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Ardit20
Very impressive and quite promising

