Microbial Population Biology

Hi guys,
As I complete evaluating your drafts, I am putting the paper copies in a box outside my door. Some are available now.
Please be sure to follow an accepted reference format such as the ASM format specified in the grant proposal assignment. In general, reread the assignment page and make sure your grant conforms.
Also, please [...]

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A summary of your minimum assignments in the second half of the course:
1) A post on an original article on the evolution of sex (3/30)
2) A post summarizing one of the Myxococcus articles (4/6)
3) A post on an original article on the evolution of virulence (4/13)
4) A post on an article or podcast on our [...]

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A reminder that you should summarize the article that you read on some aspect of the evolution of virulence (why are some parasites so virulent, and others so mild?) on your blog.
thx
MGMT

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Dear all,
Check out: http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/MicrobeWiki
if you seek background on your potential microbial study subjects.
VC

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Hi all,
To remind you, I will be absent on 3/30 but expect each of you to come to class having read the Turner and Chao, “Prisoner’s dilemma in an RNA virus” paper.  It can be found here: turner chao virus PD
As promised I have put together an introductory set of slides providing some background on [...]

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To reiterate what I assigned in today’s class:
For this week’s blog, please find and discuss a scientific report on the potential advantages of sexual recombination.  Please provide a working hyperlink to your article or web resource.

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Scientists Uncover Vast Microbial Diversity of Carnivorous Pitcher Plant
The microbial ecosystem inside the carnivorous pitcher plant is vastly more diverse than previously thought according to research published in the March 2010 issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
Researchers from LouisianaStateUniversity used genomic fingerprinting technology to assess the bacterial diversity inside leaves of Sarracenia alata, [...]

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Hi all, a quick note to say that I’ve updated the syllabus to reflect our best-laid plans for the remainder of the semester. We’ll begin with our leftovers prior to break (immigration and diversification) and then turn to an appropriate spring topic, recombination.

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A reminder that your first exam (worth 15%) is this Thursday in class.  It will be open-book, -blog, -notes but will not be collaborative.
To reiterate what I said in class, please prepare by reviewing the central concepts and points from each lecture and from each assigned reading.  Since it is open-book the exam will require [...]

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As we discussed in class, please comment this week on your blog whether experimental evolution of microbes (eg Travisano et al) can shed realistic light on macroevolutionary phenomena (eg the Cambrian explosion).
As always, be creative. Enjoy!

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