http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2008/10/27/an-ecosystem-of-one-in-the-depths-of-a-gold-mine/ Dive into the awe-inspiring, beautiful and quirky world of science news with award-winning writer Ed Yong. No previous experience required. Sat, 26 May 2012 10:52:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2008/10/27/an-ecosystem-of-one-in-the-depths-of-a-gold-mine/comment-page-1/#comment-7241 Begin PHASE THREE! | Not Exactly Rocket Science | Discover Magazine Fri, 26 Mar 2010 23:56:00 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2008/10/27/an-ecosystem-of-one-in-the-depths-of-a-gold-mine/#comment-7241 [...] An ecosystem of one in the depths of a gold mine [...] [...] An ecosystem of one in the depths of a gold mine [...]

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2008/10/27/an-ecosystem-of-one-in-the-depths-of-a-gold-mine/comment-page-1/#comment-1995 Nathan Myers Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:14:00 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2008/10/27/an-ecosystem-of-one-in-the-depths-of-a-gold-mine/#comment-1995 Tlonista: How about I think of <i>you</i> as a population of clones? Or a beehive. Bees demonstrate a few cooperative behaviors. Most bacteria exist in a mixed population with others unrelated, so that changes to their environment might benefit genes they don't have. This thing has discovered a way to maintain bodily integrity, just by living where nothing else can, and any improvements it makes, only its genes benefit from. Do these critters conjugate at all? Tlonista: How about I think of you as a population of clones? Or a beehive. Bees demonstrate a few cooperative behaviors.
Most bacteria exist in a mixed population with others unrelated, so that changes to their environment might benefit genes they don’t have. This thing has discovered a way to maintain bodily integrity, just by living where nothing else can, and any improvements it makes, only its genes benefit from.
Do these critters conjugate at all?

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2008/10/27/an-ecosystem-of-one-in-the-depths-of-a-gold-mine/comment-page-1/#comment-1994 Tlonista Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:09:30 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2008/10/27/an-ecosystem-of-one-in-the-depths-of-a-gold-mine/#comment-1994 Nathan Myers: Hardly! Think of it as a population of twins or clones. Is this apparent lack of genetic variation just the result of D. audaxviator finding a niche and sticking to it? Or is it that the population is genetically identical but actually diverse due to epigenetic factors? Nathan Myers: Hardly! Think of it as a population of twins or clones.
Is this apparent lack of genetic variation just the result of D. audaxviator finding a niche and sticking to it? Or is it that the population is genetically identical but actually diverse due to epigenetic factors?

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2008/10/27/an-ecosystem-of-one-in-the-depths-of-a-gold-mine/comment-page-1/#comment-1993 Nathan Myers Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:37:36 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2008/10/27/an-ecosystem-of-one-in-the-depths-of-a-gold-mine/#comment-1993 If they're genetically uniform, shouldn't we think of them as a single, distributed organism, that has a skeleton so heavy and so deeply buried it can never heave itself upright? Yes, the jokes write themselves, but I'm thinking that each bacterium benefits its genes as much by helping (identical) others as by helping itself. We should watch out for cooperative behaviors. If they’re genetically uniform, shouldn’t we think of them as a single, distributed organism, that has a skeleton so heavy and so deeply buried it can never heave itself upright?
Yes, the jokes write themselves, but I’m thinking that each bacterium benefits its genes as much by helping (identical) others as by helping itself. We should watch out for cooperative behaviors.

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2008/10/27/an-ecosystem-of-one-in-the-depths-of-a-gold-mine/comment-page-1/#comment-1992 Robert V Sobczak Tue, 28 Oct 2008 02:26:53 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2008/10/27/an-ecosystem-of-one-in-the-depths-of-a-gold-mine/#comment-1992 It's amazing how ubiquitous and adaptable life is. It really makes one wonder, philosophically and scientifically. It’s amazing how ubiquitous and adaptable life is. It really makes one wonder, philosophically and scientifically.

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