#spirochete

" It's one thing to come up with stories for why something might be advantageous, it's a much more involved process to prove it. Take spirochetes, for example, which are distinctive thanks to their helical shape. They're also... not great for us. They're infection, able to dig into us and invade our bodies. It's been hypothesize that part of how they do this is through that corkscrew shape, which might help them move through thick viscous solutions, you know, like our insides."

Journey to the Microcosmos- The Diversity of Shapes in the Microcosmos

Ticks have what is called the Spirochete. This is an organism with a corkscrew effect as it drills into your skin and enters your entire body. They drill into your system and cause “Auto-immune” type symptoms.

Ugh, ticks. Those are some of the most irritating insects, maybe right behind mosquitos. Not only do they bite and make you itch but they can also make you sick. Have you ever heard of Lyme Disease? This is an unfortunate illness I had to deal with. Growing up on a farm, I was familiar with ticks and had several bites over the years. I didn’t think much of running through the pasture and picking…

Inktober 2019, day 16: “Wild”

“I’m glad you’re getting into cross-stitch,” he said.

“There are so, so, many microbes in the world. This far into our journey, it’s kind of astonishing to think that for all of the exciting and odd creatures we’ve watched, we’ve only kinda dipped into the shallows of the microcosmos.” 

Journey to the Microcosmos- Trying to Make Sense of This Overwhelming World

“Molecular phylogenetic techniques have gone on to shift our understanding of microbes, raising questions and providing insights into how everything from sex to eating have evolved.”

Journey to the Microcosmos- Trying to Make Sense of This Overwhelming World

Images Originally Captured by Jam’s Germs

Journey to the Microcosmos- The Complicated Legacy of Lynn Margulis 

Images Originally Captured by Jam’s Germs