This is the microbe monday that I fell off at, and also is one of the coolest. Great post, and exciting tidings of the world being Very Cool

One of the things that stops bacteria from being super big is surface area. Most things in biology are down to surface area. Unlike cells of so-called eukaryotes, they lack a lot of the specialized infrastructure used to get stuff where it needs to go (although they have a sort of cytoskeleton analogue). Still, for bacteria, they largely need to rely on sheer probability to get stuff where it needs to be. It's a gamble. Stuff moves around randomly but if you're small enough, they'll slot into where they belong most of the time. Bacteria are chaotically-aligned beings, you understand.

This is still one of my favorite paragraphs. "Most things in biology are down to surface area", I like that a lot

(I'm reading / rereading your series and going to start making a comment on each)

I read this one a month ago but forgot that I had. They're not just shaped like squares, it looks like they come in little Windows logos?

These can be found growing in some of the saltiest, most apparently "sterile" environments on earth, from brine pools to the Dead Sea to saltmaking pans. Bacteria and archaea constantly show us that virtually nothing on this earth is sterile. Even against the fiercest resistance, life can and will withstand. Become as the little square guys and refuse to die. Strain your body until you generate a cool new protein. Form an adhesive mat with your loved ones. Absorb the energy of the sun. Birth a new order.

I really loved this part. Please never stop posting

I got behind on reading your microbe mondays, and am catching up now with some tea. Fantastic writing, I really appreciate the depth of knowledge you're bringing. The world is full of too much mystery, so I appreciate you shining a light on this one. This is great posting

We are not the only creatures to create light visible from space.

<3

That IS cool

how much

posting comes as easily to me as breathing to you, or swimming to a fish. I do not need to remember to post, i simply do it, by instinct

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news to me !

A lot of people use them to poop out of, try it if you haven't

i used to sit at my computer all day before i became skinny. no problem, even while using a wooden dining chair. now i can't even spend two hours straight sitting in a herman miller.

can you tell me what it said? i can only vote. but it says i can't read it :(

when i weigh less it definitely hurts my ass so much more to sit without cushioning

I've enjoyed reading this post

Having a muscular butt makes walking way easier.

hoppy hollydays!!!

eye of the tiger

With HAMMERS!

"We Are Going To Help People With Their Transition As Much As Possible"

promise?

Hey CEO You Should Not Be Calling Yourself Maniacal

Let's kill him

its so funny that pufferfish get kind of a reputation for being like "ooh theyre poisonous! they'll get ya!!!" when actually its because they just had neurotoxin for breakfast.

Mainstream 90s gay movies are often shockingly good, and all have worse reputations than they deserve because they got dropped into a rotten cultural moment. Philadelphia and The Crying Game come to mind.

You did.