Field of Science

Public apology to prokaryotes

Dear Domains Eubacteria and Archaea,

I have previously stated that while biochemically sophisticated, you're just lipid bags of biochemistry devoid of any worthy internal structure. Consequently, I've ignored you due to a personal aversion to biochemistry and the idea that your innards are too primitive to be of any interest to the cell biologist in me. I have been mislead to believe that having your DNA immediately enshrouded in fat* was a prerequisite to being a structurally interesting creature.

When browsing through Nature Reviews Microbiology, I came across a discussion of multicellularity and specialisation in some hyphal creature. For a split second, I thought "Wow, there's hyphal prokaryotes?!" and quickly smacked myself in the head thinking "Just because it's microbiology doesn't mean it's prokaryotic, you dumbfuck!" So I avoided the article in utter embarassment.

Today I've come across an explicit mention of a hyphal, multicellular prokaryote - Streptomyces. I could not believe it -- bacteria being confused with fungi, of all things?! And...wait...multicellular?

I soon found a few articles confirming its existence. Including that Nature review I scuttered away from...

Here it is:

(Source)


Source of image has a great overview too:
http://openwetware.org/wiki/Streptomyces:Other_Bits/An_Introduction_to_Streptomyces

I was wrong. I would hereby like to retract my prior statements about structural primitiveness of prokaryotes. Please forgive me!

Signed,
--Arrogant eukaryote


And meanwhile I gave all this hell to zoologists and botanists who would exclaim: "Oh protists -- the primitive eukaryotes!" Must...not...go off on a rant... Oh the hypocrisy...


*EDIT: Nevermind the lipid-wrapped DNA statement:
http://schaechter.asmblog.org/schaechter/2007/06/planctomycetes_.html
Couldn't nature leave ANYTHING for us to 'dogmatise' over?

5 comments:

  1. Holy crap! ...except, once the shock wears off, I am not all that surprised: diversity is broad and convergence is everywhere. Now, the fact that these things have both a nucleus-like thing and a capacity to form hyphae makes me wonder if there is any connection between the two.

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  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. 冗談だよね!冗談ですと言ってください!
    凄いだけど。僕はこのものを夢の中だけで見た。うれしい!

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  4. The nucleus-like thing is in a different group... I don't think they're together.

    Btw, what do you think of TC-S's Neomuran Hypothesis?

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  5. Kaexar,

    I read that, but am too fucking lazy, tired, and busy to write back at the moment. After finals, k?

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