Microbiology slideshow

1. The Science of
Microbiology
CRYSTAL GARCIA

2. What is Microbiology?
 Microbiology is a specialized branch of biology that
studies living organisms, too tiny to be viewed with
the unaided eye.
 It’s focus of study are referred to as Microbes or
Microorganisms
 Microorganisms live in every part of the biosphere
(and the vacuum of space) and play a role in all of
the most essential processes of life including
Photosynthesis, decomposition and recycling of
chemical nutrients (e.g. nitrogen fixation)

3. How is the scientific method
used in Microbiology?
 Generally, microorganisms are isolated from
their environment and studied in a lab under a
microscope.
 They are then classified into groups using
Taxonomy’s Domains of Life system which
recognize and identify them by specific
characteristics. Microorganisms are then
provided with standard scientific names.

4. The History of Microbiology
 Set in motion in the late 16th century with the
creation of the compound microscope by
Robert Hook and contemporaries
 Simple microscope-like instrument created by
Antoine van Leeuwenhoek

5. Antoine van Leeuwenhoek
(1632-1723)

6. Antoine van Leeuwenhoek
 A Dutch fabric merchant - Leeuwenhoek
originally intended his instrument to examine
cloth fabric for flaws.
 His device would allow microbes to be
observed and analyzed for the first time in
human history.
 Often referred to as “the father of Microbiology”
though he was incredibly secretive with the
construction of his microscope

7. Louis Pasteur (1822–1895)
biography.com - Louis Pasteur

8. Louis Pasteur
 French Chemist considered one of the major
founding fathers of Microbiology
 Best known for creating Pasteurization -
technique of heating then cooling liquids to slow
bacterial growth
 Would ultimately demonstrate the importance
of “proofs” as well as observation and
experimentation which are the cornerstone
principles of science.

9. Spontaneous Generation
 Theory on the formation of living things
 Persisted from archaic times until approx. the
17th and 18th century
 Proposed that living things formed from non-living
matter
 Religious connotation related to the origin of life
on Earth
 would have both heated proponents and
opponents in the scientific community

10. “
”
I think, Sir, that you are in the wrong, not because
you believe in spontaneous generation, since it is
difficult in such matters not to have a preconceived
idea, but in stating that spontaneous generation
exists. . . . In my estimation the whole question still
lacks proofs. . . .
Pasteur would take a logical stance on the
subject and demand that more evidence be
produced before this theory could be referred to
as Scientific Fact

11. Pasteur and “Spontaneous
Generation”
 Pasteur would devise an experiment that would
ultimately disprove this theory.
 Invented the swan neck flask which would be
the key element in disproving Spontaneous
Generation
 With this instrument Pasteur would set sterile
liquid in an intricately curved flask, allowing it to
be exposed to air without the risk of
contamination from dust particles or
microorganisms in the air.

12. Pasteur and “Spontaneous
Generation”

13. How is Microbiology helpful and
useful to people?

14. You Can Thank Microbiology For:
 Germ Theory - a theory in medicine: infections,
contagious diseases, and various other
conditions result from the action of
microorganisms (merriam-webster)
 (Medical) Sterilization – any process that
eliminates (removes) or kills all forms of life
(Wikipedia)

15. You Can Thank Microbiology For:
 Vaccinations - a preparation of killed
microorganisms, living attenuated organisms, or
living fully virulent organisms that is administered
to produce or artificially increase immunity to a
particular disease (merriam-webster)
 Pasteurization - a process in which a liquid (such
as milk or cream) is heated to a temperature
that kills harmful germs and then cooled quickly
(meriam-webster)

16. They’re literally everywhere.
 Aid in animal digestion
 Used in food production and fermentation (e.g.
dairy products, wine, yeast)
 Used for many commercial and industrial
production of chemicals, enzymes and other
bioactive molecules (e.g Citric acid which is
produced by a certain type of fungus)
 Used in sewage treatment as well as energy
fermentation (e.g. ethanol)

17. Taq polymerase and its influence
on Genetic Engineering
 Enzyme isolated from the thermophilic, “Heat-
Loving”, bacterium Thermus aquaticus.
 Used as a key enzyme in the denaturing process
of the Polymerase chain reaction (technique
used to make multiple copies of a segment DNA
of interest)
 Responsible for advances in genetic
engineering, such as DNA testing, cloning and
sequencing

18. Bioremediation
 Bioremediation is a waste management
technique that involves the use of organisms to
remove or neutralize pollutants from a
contaminated site. According to the EPA,
bioremediation is a “treatment that uses
naturally occurring organisms to break down
hazardous substances into less toxic or non toxic
substances”.

19. Bioremediation
(Left) Alaska. Workers outfitted in safety attire spray benign nutrients for Bioremediation Project on
the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound.

20. Info from the Environmental
Protection Agency on
Bioremediation
 Some types of microbes eat and digest
contaminants, usually changing them into small
amounts of water and harmless gases
 (cannot always be treated in situ) It may take a few
months or even several years for microbes to clean
up a site, depending on several factors.
 Bioremediation relies on microbes that live naturally
in soil and groundwater. These microbes pose no
threat to people at the site or in the community.