Monday, December 10, 2012

Prokaryotes!

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Prokaryotes are the most numerous organisms on Earth today. They lived on Earth by themselves for over 1 billion years-before any other organism. They have the ability to live in habitats that are cold, hot, salty, acidic, and alkaline. No wonder they thrived in the harsh conditions of early Earth! Prokaryotes are typically around 1-5 micrometers in diameter, but some vary in size. Because they are so small, it is very easy for them to live just about anywhere. It is said that there are more prokaryotes found in a person’s mouth than the number of humans that have ever lived on Earth! That’s pretty gross if you think about it, right? We all know there is a vast amount of cells in our body. Well, guess what? The number of prokaryotes living ON your body is about 10 times more than the number of cells INSIDE your body! There are two domains of prokaryotes which are bacteria and archaea. The most common domain is bacteria of course because we know the many ways that they can help or harm us. Most bacteria are beneficial to us, but some can be deadly and cause sickness. So no matter where you go, prokaryotes will always be there with you!

http://www.scienceprofonline.com/publishImages/cell-biology~prokaryotic-and-eukaryotic-two-types-of-biological-cells~~element156.jpg
 Source: Class Notes:Chapter 16-The Origin and Evolution of Microbial Life: Prokaryotes and Protists

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