Gram Staining and Anton van Leeuwenhoek's Discoveries

Gram staining

A technique used to differentiate bacteria into two groups, Gram positives (stain violet) and Gram negatives (stain pink), based on their cell wall structure.

Hans Christian Gram

A Danish scientist who developed the Gram staining technique in 1884 using crystal violet stain to improve bacteria visibility under a microscope.

Peptidoglycan

A component of bacterial cell walls that stains violet in Gram staining, characteristic of Gram positive bacteria.

Binary fission

A method of asexual reproduction in bacteria where a cell divides into two identical daughter cells.

Lateral Gene Transfer (LGT)

The exchange of genetic material between different species, allowing bacteria to acquire new capabilities.

Conjugation

A process in bacterial recombination where a donor cell transfers DNA to a recipient cell using a plasmid with instructions for conjugation.

Transduction

The transfer of DNA between bacterial cells through a bacteriophage.

Anton van Leeuwenhoek

A Dutch scientist known as the 'father of microbiology' for his pioneering work in microscopy and discovery of microorganisms.

Cyanobacteria

A group of photosynthetic bacteria that play a crucial role in oxygen production.

Spirochetes

A group of spiral-shaped bacteria, some of which are pathogenic.

Bacteroides

A genus of bacteria commonly found in the human gut microbiota.

Hyperthermophilic bacteria

Bacteria that thrive in extremely high-temperature environments.

Candidate Phylum Radiation

A diverse group of bacterial phyla with unclear taxonomic classification.

Royal Society

A scientific society in the UK that elected Anton van Leeuwenhoek as a full member in 1680.

Protozoa

Single-celled eukaryotic organisms that can be parasitic or free-living.

Algae

Photosynthetic organisms that range from single-celled to multicellular forms.

Micrographia

A book by Robert Hooke illustrating observations made with a compound microscope.

Compound microscope

A microscope with two lenses that can magnify objects up to about 30-50 times.

Biconvex lenses

Lenses used by Anton van Leeuwenhoek to achieve high magnifications in his microscopes.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society

A scientific journal where Anton van Leeuwenhoek's letters describing his discoveries were published.

Scientific dogma

Established beliefs or principles in science that may hinder new discoveries, which Anton van Leeuwenhoek avoided.

UCMP UC Berkeley

University of California Museum of Paleontology at UC Berkeley, where Anton van Leeuwenhoek was a full member of the Royal Society.