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

How could it appear?

I thin there are too many variables here.

If the pond is outside, exposed to the air, all sorts of bacteria and plant spores could be blown into it by the wind. Algae could be deposited there.

if the pond is inside, whatever is in the air will determine what gets int the water. Did you know, for instance, that every time you flush your toilet, a cloud of bacteria is pushed into the air around it.

I'm not sure I wanted to know that.

So no artificial ponds next to the toilet then, lest yesterday's hamburger evolves into something crying for revenge (eventually, that is)

I probably shouldn't have mentioned it. Sorry.

I usually get along okay with my own bacteria....

Latest research result is that the number of bacteriae in your body roughly equals the number of body cells and weighs in at about 0.2 kg.

Bacteria are far smaller than human cells.

AFAIK there are a LOT more bacterial cells in you than your 'own' mammalian cells (it's not even close)- and it's about 1 kg in the average person, whatever that may be (where did you get your latest research out of interest?)
Like all other multiple-celled life forms we'd die without our symbiotic partner organisms. Gut bacteria and archaea make, digest and excrete a lot of our essential nutrients.

And unless you take EXTREME sterilising precautions and repeatedly disinfect (a bit of sodium azide in the water will be more-or-less permanent) - then you simply cannot keep microbial life forms away from anything, whatever it is (barring perhaps hot fires :D)

I am a biological chemist so if you don't believe me, then I suggest briefing up on some proper literature so you can inform yourself better than I

>How could it appear? <

And yes, airborne at first, but also carried with those first invaders.
Did you sterilise, thoroughly, the equipment used to fill it with water? No? Then from there too.
Did you sterilise, thoroughly, the pond itself before filling it? No? Then from there too.
Did you wear a mask, wear sterilised clothing whilst filling it? No? From there too.

And there will be enough salts and stuff in the water to allow them to survive - when they die, then there's organic matter to feed the next generation etc.

They will keep reproducing!

My source for the approximate 1 to 1 ratio bacteriae / human calls is

https://www.nature.com/news/scientists-bust-myth-that-our-bodies-have-more-bacteria-than-human-cells-1.19136

Apparently, the original bacterial count was done by extrapolating from the count in faeces, leading to too high numbers. The human cell count goes up if you count red blood cells. All in all this leads to "somewhere between half or double, but never ten times."

cells, not calls.

Whatever the case, I'm glad we don't have to pay them for their work.

Nice, thanks for that Caiman, I would certainly bow to their greater expertise there. And a good sign for any academic paper is it being cited.... 588 times so far according to the web of knowledge. Thanks!

Original paper if anyone is interested is Plos biology https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article/comments?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1002533 so ought to be free to anyone to view.

Fair enough, go with Caiman's figures

http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article/comments?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1002533

To continue regarding the original question...

OK... so let's imagine we build an artificial pond. We dig a large hole and fill it with water. Well, the pond will not only get microbes carried by the wind, but also from the soil.

OK, so lets line the pond with some plastic/metal/ceramic liner such as to isolate it from the soil's biome. Not only will it get "contaminated" by windblown microbes, but it may also soon not only have microbial life, but we may also begin to see larger life forms.

Besides windblown microbes, it will also likely attract waterfowl. These birds often will carry the eggs of fish and amphibians on their legs feet and lower feathers. This is the method of how most ponds become populated with fish and other creatures.


For it to remain sterile, it would also need to be covered and we don't call covered ponds "ponds" we call them "tanks".






And how military tanks came to be called such is an interesting story. They were originally called "tanks" as a bit of WW1 subterfuge. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank#Origins

You could heat the pond to boiling temperature... To be on the safe side.

If you like hot tubs, you can wait for it to cool, then climb in.

Or, you can use for a Mongolian barbecue.

Muchísimas gracias gentle folks!

I am taking note of all this to tell my kids.
I think that they ( 6 years) will think of it as a kind of magic happening.

The pond is going to be a small plastic one. It´s cheaper than putting an insulating plastic sheet.



Thank you.

"we'd die without our symbiotic partner organisms. Gut bacteria and archaea make, digest and excrete a lot of our essential nutrients."

I´ve read that our gut bacteria are also called the second brain because they can influence on our mood. Even on some mental conditions as depression.
I´ve also read that some people have got an "implant" of other people´s faeces to reinforce their inmune system.

I guess that eating prebiotic and probiotic will be enough to keep them happy.