Joanna Carver, reporter
(Image: John R. Taylor and Roman Stocker)
Bacteria are always with us, even when we think we're alone. Here they're lurking in ocean waters, foraging for food on a turbulent high-seas buffet. In this mathematical simulation of microbes' feeding patterns, red shows high concentrations, while lower concentrations are blue or transparent.
Marine microbes are harder workers than honeybees or human office drones. They convert matter to energy, excreting more waste than sharks or whales. Some of them, like these bacteria, move toward nutrients, while others drift along until lunch comes to them.
The ones that do move use a process called chemotaxis, meaning these microbes, only visible using a microscope, move toward their watery food with the focus of a hungry person gravitating toward a pizza box.
John Taylor of the University of Cambridge and Roman Stocker of MIT?have shown?that ocean turbulence influences the way these microbes behave by kicking up nutrients into thin filaments that are easy to eat. However, the little feeders must expend energy to rush to their next meal, so they have an optimal swimming speed.
Microbes may even be on Mars and floating around in space. Next time you're frolicking in the ocean waves, congratulate yourself on helping mix up the tiny creatures' next meal.
Journal reference: Science, DOI: 10.1126/science.1219417
russell wilson catch me if you can delmon young arrested the raven the raven zerg rush david wilson
No comments:
Post a Comment