-
----------------------------- 2689 - CORONA VIRUS - could it dominate all life?
-
- Today, March, 2020, we are experiencing a pandemic invasion of the corona virus. It is just one of many life forms that live with us and even compete for existence on the planet.
-
- A flu virus is 4*10^-6 inches on a side and covers 16*10^-12 square inches. The human body has about 20 square feet of skin. That is 2,880 square inches of skin. The smallest virus is only 0.5*10^-12 square inches.
-
- If we were covered in viruses there could be 200 to 5,000 trillion viruses occupying every inch of our skin. Viruses are parasites that live on bacteria and other hosts , and , there are some 650,000 bacteria occupying every square inch of our skin.
-
- Viruses are not considered living organisms. Bacteria are living. There are at least 1,550 species of viruses and at least 5,000 species of bacteria. Compare that with:
-
------------------------ 26,900 species of algae
-
----------------------- 70,000 species of fungi
-
----------------------- 30,800 species of amoebas
-
------------------------- 5,000 species of bacteria
-
-------------------------- 1,550 species of viruses
-
------------------------- 1 species of homo sapiens
-
- So with a trillion bacteria grazing on our skin mostly feeding on the 10 billion of flakes of skin that we shed every day. That gray stuff that you see on the inside of your vacuum cleaner, along with the tasty oil and sweat that seep out of your pores is the food of bacteria. The waste left behind can be identified as “ body odor”. There are an equal number of bacteria feeding on the insides of our bodies.
-
- The trillion bacteria inside our bodies live in our guts, our noses, our eyelashes, even our teeth enamel . In our guts alone there are over 400 different varieties of bacteria. Some digest sugar, some digest starches, some synthesize vitamins, some are warriors attacking other types of bacteria.
-
- The human body has some 10*10^15 cells. But, there are 100*10^15 bacterial cells. Human cells are outnumbered 10 to 1. So, who is the dominate life form here, them or us?
-
- How can so many bacteria exist on our bodies? For one thing our body provides a constant warm, food source. For another thing bacteria can rapidly reproduce. A single bacterium can generate 280,000 billion ( 0.28 * 10^15 ) bacteria in a single day. In contrast, in a single day a human cell can manage a single division.
-
- When bacteria are dividing with such rapid numbers several “ mutations” are occurring. A new bacteria endowed with some accidental advantage can take over. That is what the corona virus just did.
-
- They could quickly develop a stain of bacteria that resist a particular antibiotic. All bacteria are swimming in a gene pool. Any adaptive advantage can spread through an entire colony of bacteria very quickly.
-
- Bacteria not only feed on us humans. There are varieties of bacteria that eat wood, eat the glue in wall paper, eat the metals in hardened paint. Bacteria have been found living and eating in sulfuric acid.
-
- They have been thriving in the waste tanks of nuclear reactors. The live in boiling mud pots, and in volcanic fissures at the bottom of the oceans. There was bacteria living in a sealed lens of a camera that was retrieved from the Moon after 2 years.
-
- Now, again, which is the dominate life form? Them or us?
-
- Science has recently learned that microbes are living deep inside the Earth, in the rocks 2,000 feet below the surface. Some of these bacteria are alive for centuries, dividing only once per century. With this new data estimates are that there is more life below the surface of Earth than on top of it.
-
- Astronomers are just beginning to study the possibilities of life on other planets, and other moons in our Solar System and now in some 1,200 newly discovered solar systems.
-
- We have a lot more to discover on our home, mother Earth. Our life is so fragile. But, the diversity of life seems to be far beyond the bounds that we ever dreamed. An announcement will be made soon, stay tuned.
-
- Do you feel your skin crawling? You probably should not have read this article. Taking a shower won’t help.
-
------------------------------------- Also see 2660:
-
- 2660 - VIRUS - Could they have created life on Earth? A new virus recently discovered could be the missing link between non living viruses and living bacteria. It is called the Mimivirus because it mimics a bacterium. It is the largest virus discovered so far, about 500 nanometers long. The smallest virus is about 17 nanometers long.
-
- March 31, 2020 1298 2689
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----- Comments appreciated and Pass it on to whomever is interested. ----
--- Some reviews are at: -------------- http://jdetrick.blogspot.com -----
-- email feedback, corrections, request for copies or Index of all reviews
--- to: ------ jamesdetrick@comcast.net ------ “Jim Detrick” -----------
- https://plus.google.com/u/0/ -- www.facebook.com -- www.twitter.com
--------------------- Tuesday, March 31, 2020 -------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment