h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yes! I would like to join the Campaign!
speller u669850 and I pledge to respect the little guys

welcome to our world mr speller ... do you have any interesting bugs to share ????

Just the ones making me hack and cough since Monday! - You're welcome to those - I've done with them!

pop em on a petri dish for me ... lets see what developes !!!

Hello Speller, and welcome to the campaign! (Sorry, I haven't been around much lately) Your complimentary cup of yoghurt is chilling nicely in the refrigerator - assuming Hussassan hasn't moved it - and your badge awaits at the campaign HQ.

And now to brand you... um, I mean, knight you! with this burning inoculation loop

[inoculation loop sizzles in the fire]

Oh, and when I get 'round to opening the microbe zoo, you can share your little microbes with the other members, but I'm afraid you'll have to keep it to yourself for a tad longer...

Cheers,
Far.

how r u mr farlander ???

long time no see !!!

This post has been removed.

Hey there Jim!

Sorry, but I've been awfully busy lately - which is why I've been popping in and disappearing for days at a time. I hope you are well -- and your bugs too!

Hey, what's that hidden posting all about? I didn't catch it.

No idea.

Does anyone know what magnetotatic bacteria are?

Here's what I found:

"Magnetotatic bacteria navigate via the earth's magnetic field. They develop intracellular magnetic crystals to act as a compass to guide them as they swim. This property can be harnessed to utilise the bacteria for the removal of contaminants from waste streams. Current work is leading to a better understanding of the crystal development process and the design of separators to recover the bacteria."

I'll go dig up some more info...This is cool.

Very cool!

Ref Magnetotactic Bacteria: also human beings have particles of magnetite in the brain. Some people say that this might account for some people having a so-called 'sixth sense' (ESP) which makes them sensitive to external magnetic fields. It is also thought that this may have implications for the current debate on the safety of mobile phones.
(If I recall correctly, this is also the way in which some birds navigate.]

Ref the mobile phones, there is a nematode worm, Caenorhabditis elegans, that contains traces of iron oxide (magnetite), and this is thought to make them sensitive to EM radiation from mobile phones. Work with this classical animal model provides some of the most convincing evidence that radiation from m.phones could have serious biological consequences. When exposed to such radiation the worms produce heat-shock proteins, suggesting that they're experiencing some kind of stress. It is thought that the magnetite particles could concentrate energy and cause local damage within cells.

Ref Cranfield, C.G. Biol Lett 2004. (DOI:10.1098/rsbl.2004.0209)

BIGAL

hi guys .... you got some interesting stuff going on here ...
im very busy learnin to run a pub as im becoming a pub manager ...
my life does tend to revolve around mobile phones ...and this could explain why my brain is fried at the end of a long day ....

i missed the hidden posting im affraid ... it was pulled almost immediately following its arrival !!!

If the post was pulled pretty much immediately then it was likely pulled by the person who wrote it, which means we probably won't hear any more about it.

The black mould one tends to get on damp wasll, bathroom ceilings etc is due to Aspergillus niger (I think). In the past I've tried removing this with a home-made concoction of bleach and washing up liquid - no NO effect.

We just recently bought a proprietary brand of m'Mould and Mildew Remover' which contains "chlorine-based bleaching agents and non-ionic and cationic detergents' which you spray on. It worked a treat; you could actually see the 'tide' removing the mould as you sprayed!

P.S. I forgot to say, the stuff only cost £0.50 from the local market.

Nice one! What's it called?

It's called 'Wizz', produced by UK WizzProducts Ltd, Leeds, West Yorkshire; but I would have thought that any self-respecting product called Mould and Mildew Remover would work similarly.

I guess the difference between these and my home-made concoction is due to cationic detergents. W/Up liquid (if I revall correctly) contain anionics (Soerry, haven't bothered to check on this).

BIGAL

Yes! I would like to join the Campaign!
I'm already the Forum Lesbian at microbionuts.com!

Hooray!