All we need is to make it more realistic, add bacteria (I hope the author(s) realise bacteria don't phagocytose, proving those microbes to be eukaryotic...they do seem to have nuclei though), add a few more organisms like amoebae, flagellates, a Hypermastigote or three, and...PARASITES! =D and we have a whole new genre of gameplay!
This could be so pretty! And sexy, since we're talking about eukaryotes. Any programers out there? *drools*
Anyway, must go back to
Microbe Kombat, surely :D
ReplyDeleteI tried that out and spent a few happy minutes on it before having and OMG SHOULD BE REVISING panic. :(
Hi, I just love your blog because it really gives food for thought :-) Quick question after couple of unsuccessfull search trhough nearby books and sites: if bacteria can not do phagosytosis can they also not do endosytosis? So they must digest their food always outside their cell?
ReplyDeleteSunshine to your lab!
Cool! I was also preparing a post on flash games for molecular biologists... Will definitely add this one to my list! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteDamn, it was our idea!
ReplyDelete@Anon,
ReplyDeleteYou're right -- bacteria cannot do endocytosis in any form, and digest their food outside, importing stuff via channels instead. For the most part. As far as I know, we don't really know of any endocytosing bacteria, but there may well be some group out there we're totally unaware of. But so far, no endomembrane trafficking.
Endocytosis is one very prominent feature unique to eukaryotes -- some even argue endocytosis is exactly what enabled eukaryotes to become so different from our prokaryotic brethren! (eg Cavalier-Smith 2009 Int J Biochem Cell Biol).