Discover this podcast and so much more

Podcasts are free to enjoy without a subscription. We also offer ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more for just $11.99/month.

Ep. 163 Random Walks, Brownian Motion, and the Physics of Big Bacteria

Ep. 163 Random Walks, Brownian Motion, and the Physics of Big Bacteria

FromPetri Dish


Ep. 163 Random Walks, Brownian Motion, and the Physics of Big Bacteria

FromPetri Dish

ratings:
Length:
25 minutes
Released:
Sep 12, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

Last week, we discussed a very big bacterium, one you can see with your naked eye! But back in high school we all learned that bacteria and prokaryotes in general were pretty simple cells and were definitely smaller than our cells. While we've found a lot of examples that push back against this idea, there is a fundamental truth behind it -- a simple cell has definite physical constraints on how big it can grow. What are those constraints? And how do these giant bacteria (and our own cells) get around these problems?
References:

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2008.0014
http://www.math.uchicago.edu/~lawler/reu.pdf
https://www.science.org/content/article/largest-bacterium-ever-discovered-has-unexpectedly-complex-cells
Released:
Sep 12, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Profane, insane, and 100% primo science, Petri Dish is a no-BS podcast that explores the wildest subjects in modern science with clarity and evil joy. Hosted by Sean Allen, a Nanoparticle/Immunology Researcher, and Nathan Allen, his "screenwriter" brother, Petri Dish fuses hard science with a freewheeling and madcap conversational style. Cannabinoids, Plague, Cats, the dreaded Candiru, and the even more dreaded Covid-19: all these and more are dissected with intellect and irreverence, dropping every week. So reject ignorance. Join the Scientific Revolution. Join Petri Dish.