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

Yep, here's a biology one... something I learned in A-Level, which I found fun to do since it involved a lot of mess. Tried to inject some humor into it to make it a bit more interesting. Tell me what you think!

http://www.h2g2.com/A480575

you should perhaps insert a footnote to explain the method's name (from danish bacteriologist Hans Christian Gram (1853-1938).
eg. from (URL removed by moderator)

And for me as a non-biologist, things would have been a little easier to understand if the main point, colour change, was made earlier in the entry.

$0.02

Cheers. I was meaning to tinker with it a bit, I wrote it in rather a hurry and didn't really stop to think if it made too much sense to non-scientists...

Oh, what fun. Do you know why some bacteria are gram positive and some are gram negative?

I think, as the researcher of this piece, you should do the research and make sure the common household materials you suggest, really work. Even if you don't though - great article.

Sal

Loved this article Shouldn't have any problems becoming an Edited Guide Entry The subs can sort the layout etc. Nice one Until later......
BCNU - Crescent

Bacteria stain Gram positive or negative depending on their cell wall... it involves some complicated words like peptidoglycans which I only learned to spell just now so I didn't include it! Basically, the presence or absence of these things on the cell wall will make one dye stick to it, and the other wash right off.

I don't think the household things really work, I was just trying to make it a bit more entertaining .Though who knows if Ribena has complex chemicals in it that can bind to a cell wall...

Thanks for the encouraging words guys, I really appreciate it!

I came across something some time ago about the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. It's a spirochete and so similar to the spirochete that causes syphilis that sometimes, people who have Lyme disease test positive for syphilis even though they don't have it. Anyway, the thing is, apparently, the Lyme disease bacteria are gram-variable - that is to say, sometime they're gram-positive and sometimes gram-negative. So, judging from what you say about this 'peptidoglycans' thingy, I would guess that Borrelia burgdorferi (that's the Lyme disease bacterium) can change the stuff of it's cell wall pretty comprehensively. Fascinating stuff!

It's a shame about the household materials. I was all ready to roll up my sleeves and have a go.

Sal

Heh heh.
The test is quite fun to do - the only drawback being your hands are permanantly stained red and purple for the next three days! That story about Lyme disease is weird - and imagine being diagnosed with syphilis when you don't have it! Unfortunately for my bio prof, the doctors made a bit of a cock-up when he got a bacterial infection. Believe it or not, he was attacked in his home by a wild cat. The feral cat was so shocked to see him, that he left quite a deep nasty scratch on my teacher's arm. The doctors at the hospital quite rightly assumed that the muddy claws of a wild cat were teeming with bacteria, so they stuffed him with anitbiotics. I don't know why they didn't take notice of the lab work, but it was a Gram negative infection, and they pumped him full of drugs that would very effectively kill off a Gram positive infection but have no effect on the infection my teacher had. Of course, he became very ill and had to stay in hospital for about a week since all the friendly bacteria in his body had been killed off, and the evil ones left to do their nasty work!

Wow. What a drama. It's a wonder your poor prof didn't have a heart attack. It's not just feral cats that carry all those nasty microbes apparently. One of my chums is always having to take her cat to the vet after he's had a scrap with another cat. The vet says that the bite of a cat can be lethal if it's not treated fairly promptly because of all the infectious agents they carry in their mouths. I'm just glad my dogs don't go around gratuitously sinking their gnashers into non-food items (like me for example).

Still, prompt treatment's neither here nor there if it's the wrong prompt treatment. Perhaps someone should have told those doctors about the Gram stain test.

Sal

Yeah, I would have sorted them doctors out if I were there! Damn right....
We weren't that kind to our prof when he got back though - everyone kept sneaking up behind him and making "meow" noises! We even asked him if he has magical "cat powers" now since he's been mauled by one, but he said we have been watching too many episodes of X-Files and Buffy.
I've got an exam soon that will more then likely have a question about Gram staining - I can just be like "yep, just go look at this website, I wrote the article..."

Congratulations! Your entry has been chosen to become part of the edited guide!

Keep your eyes peeled for when it is edted - there will be a bit of a wait, but it will get there! Well done!

Cheers!!
You have made my New Year!

I just hope you pass the exam, Biohazard! Good luck with it!

Editorial Note: This thread has been moved out of the Peer Review forum because this entry has now been recommended for the Edited Guide.

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Congratulations!

Hello, I'll be your in-flight sub-editor for today. If there are any last minute changes you wish to make, any time now would seem to be the best point to let me know!!

- Slash & Burn Editing!

Hi!

I think everythings ok for you to spin your editorial magic! thanks, and happy new year!

And to you too!