I have previously stated that while biochemically sophisticated, you're just lipid bags of biochemistry devoid of any worthy internal structure. Consequently, I've ignored you due to a personal aversion to biochemistry and the idea that your innards are too primitive to be of any interest to the cell biologist in me. I have been mislead to believe that having your DNA immediately enshrouded in fat* was a prerequisite to being a structurally interesting creature.
When browsing through Nature Reviews Microbiology, I came across a discussion of multicellularity and specialisation in some hyphal creature. For a split second, I thought "Wow, there's hyphal prokaryotes?!" and quickly smacked myself in the head thinking "Just because it's microbiology doesn't mean it's prokaryotic, you dumbfuck!" So I avoided the article in utter embarassment.
Today I've come across an explicit mention of a hyphal, multicellular prokaryote - Streptomyces. I could not believe it -- bacteria being confused with fungi, of all things?! And...wait...multicellular?
I soon found a few articles confirming its existence. Including that Nature review I scuttered away from...
Here it is:
(Source)
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Source of image has a great overview too:
http://openwetware.org/wiki/Streptomyces:Other_Bits/An_Introduction_to_Streptomyces
I was wrong. I would hereby like to retract my prior statements about structural primitiveness of prokaryotes. Please forgive me!
Signed,
--Arrogant eukaryote
And meanwhile I gave all this hell to zoologists and botanists who would exclaim: "Oh protists -- the primitive eukaryotes!"
*EDIT: Nevermind the lipid-wrapped DNA statement:
http://schaechter.asmblog.org/schaechter/2007/06/planctomycetes_.html
Couldn't nature leave ANYTHING for us to 'dogmatise' over?
Holy crap! ...except, once the shock wears off, I am not all that surprised: diversity is broad and convergence is everywhere. Now, the fact that these things have both a nucleus-like thing and a capacity to form hyphae makes me wonder if there is any connection between the two.
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ReplyDelete冗談だよね！冗談ですと言ってください！
ReplyDelete凄いだけど。僕はこのものを夢の中だけで見た。うれしい！
The nucleus-like thing is in a different group... I don't think they're together.
ReplyDeleteBtw, what do you think of TC-S's Neomuran Hypothesis?
Kaexar,
ReplyDeleteI read that, but am too fucking lazy, tired, and busy to write back at the moment. After finals, k?