Introduction to Microbiology

The most basic building blocks of all matter are atoms. In order to discuss higher structures of a living thing, we must understand how matter is assembled.

Atoms don't exist in isolation, they bond to one another to form more complex structures.

How atoms come together to bond can require or release energy and other molecules and compounds. We'll discuss those important for biology and leave the rest to the chemists.

Water is everywhere. It makes up 70% of the planet and about as much of our own bodies. Some pretty unique chemical things happen in water as well.

A discussion of how carbs, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids are assembled chemically.

Intro to the structure and function of eukaryotic cells and the goo inside them.

Transport across the plasma (or cell) membrane critical to gathering nutrients and discarding wastes.

Like the organs in your body, cells have tiny lil functional units inside the cytoplasm. They are discussed here.

Phagocytosis is a critical process to gathering nutrients and combating illness and will be shown in multiple areas throughout the course. So, even if it doesn't make much sense right at this moment, know that eventually it will.

Eukaryotic cells need tons of energy to survive, more so than amount derived from glycolysis alone. So, here we discuss the tiny organelle responsible for squeezing just a little more out of each glucose molecule.

The chloroplast perhaps isn't as necessary for this class. However, because, like the mitochondria, the chloroplast is derived from undigested bacteria AND serves a function for the harvesting of light to create food in a manner much like cyanobacteria, it is included here.

All cells need to grow and reproduce in order for the species to survive. Mitosis is a simplistic way to make near-genetic clones (or copies) of a cell. For humans, this is replacing skin, the lining of the gut, etc. There is no genetic variation (except copy-errors) to mitosis and mitosis does not result in a human offspring. Mitosis may or may not occur in every cell in the human body except the egg and sperm (which is meiosis).

Meiosis is a complicated process whereby two sex cells, one from each parent, combine to form offspring genetically different from either parent. For humans, a sperm and egg join to produce a zygote. For fungi, a + and a - might do the same. This allows for genetic variation which could lead to the evolution of a species. Unlike mitosis, which duplicates all DNA and then divides to form 2 cells, meiosis requires that you duplicate the DNA and then form 4 new cells, each with half the number of chromosomes. Too little information in a cell is bad, but so is too much.

Here, we are continuing to build upon our knowledge of HIV as it relates to cellular structure and function.

An introduction to DNA

DNA replication is technically DNA-dependent-DNA replication. You need a template of DNA to copy the DNA. We'll describe that process here.

Here, we are taking a look at the steps of creating RNA from DNA. Mostly here, we want to discuss transcription to mRNA or messenger RNA so that we can later use the RNA template to make protein in translation. Bacteria can do this a little differently.

Now we are taking our mRNA transcript and using that transcript to direct the creation of a string of amino acids that we call a protein. That protein may be structure, like for hair, or it may be function, like for an enzyme.

Cells are very efficient when it comes to copying and using the information stored in DNA. However, the process isn't foolproof and errors do happen.

We add to our HIV journey by discussing how this RNA virus reproduces itself in violation of the Central Dogma inside human cells.

The human body has 3 lines of defense against the invasion of pathogens. Before an infection can mounted by a pathogen, it must breach our pretty sophisticated barriers like skin.

Once the pathogen gets in, there are still obstacles to overcome. Immune cells come to the rescue.

Now we are going to add our previous discussion of phagocytosis in the context of immune function. It is the same video from Section 3.

Continuation of Part 1 on innate immune cells

Now, we will introduce the Third Line of Defense, aka Adaptive Immunity, and discuss the role of B lymphocytes in immune protection.

T Lymphocytes are critical to our defense against all types of internal pathogens (like viruses and other intracellular pathogens). They are also pretty complicated.

Antibodies can be used for a variety of purposes including the creation of antibodies and specific laboratory testing.

The basic human responses of the overreaction of our immune cells to pathogens can lead to a variety of "allergies."

The immune system can be awesome, if you have everything you need. But, what happens when you are missing one or more of these cells of the immune system? Ans: an autoimmune disorder.

HIV is a virus that if, left undiagnosed and untreated, can lead to AIDS: acquired immune deficiency syndrome. While not always present at birth, the autoimmune deficiency is acquired during one's lifetime.

Introduction to the public study of disease.

Continuation of Epidemiology

The structure and ppe of studying potentially dangerous pathogens in the lab.

Viruses that affect the liver in a manner to cause hepatitis, or its variants.

This video was produced in response to a question. It explores this new coronavirus as far as structure, entry, replication, transmission, diseases / illnesses, etc with some epidemiology. It is only slightly edited.

Introducing bacteria.

No organelles, but plenty of organization in our bacteria.

This is a pretty technical lesson on control mechanisms used by some bacteria for nutrients, growth and other processes.

Also, a fairly technical discussion on the methods for which DNA can mix and match to form new variants of DNA.