Discussion: Biochemistry & Structure of Living Cells.

Select one of the following discussion topics for your primary post, which should address the discussion question in your own words. Your primary post should be at least 125 words. Also, please respond to a fellow student on any topic.

Discussion Topic 1: Internet Research on Carl Woese. Carl Woese (1928-2012) was an American scientist who was mainly interested in microorganisms - organisms so small that they can only be seen with a microscope. In particular, Woese sought to organize the known species of microorganisms, according to their relatedness, into a classification scheme. When he started, he felt that the classification schemes in use at the time were based on highly questionable assumptions, and quite possibly were complete rubbish. Therefore, he worked out a new method for classifying organisms. Research his activities on the internet, and then address issues (a), (b) and (c), that are given below, and cite your source(s).

(a) Briefly describe Woese's new method for classifying microorganisms. Please note that you don't need to get into all of the details, such as the virtues of the particular "subunit" he focused on. Instead, I'm looking for you to identify the molecule that Woese analyzed and the basic logic of his approach.

(b) Name one of Woese's most important findings.

(c) Describe one way that this relates to this week's lesson.

• Don't forget to cite your source or sources.

Discussion Topic 2: Chemicals of Life Video. Watch Dr. Cox's video on the "Chemicals of Life" in the "Instructor Insights" area of Week 2. Then, address issues (a) and (b).

(a) Describe three things you learned from this video.
(b) Describe at least one way that this video relates to this week's lesson.

• To get credit for this topic, your post must be based on the video. Answers based on other materials will receive a grade of zero.

Discussion Topic 3: Lokiarchaeum Article. Read at least one of the two articles about Lokiarcheum (Yong, 2015; Zimmer, 2015). Both articles describe recently discovered evidence about a previously unknown organism. Address issues (a), (b) and (c), that are given below, and cite your source(s)

(a) Describe the evidence which suggests that Lokiarchaeum may be a "transitional form" between archaea and eukarya.
(b) Describe one way that this relates to this week's lesson.

• Cite whichever article you use. If you use both, cite them both. There's no particular reason why you should need any other source, but if you do use any other source, you must cite it, too.

References:

Cox, J. F. (2016). The chemicals of life - revised. [Video]. Retrieved from this course shell.

Yong, E. (2015, May 06). New Loki microbe is closest relative to all complex life. [Blog post].

Zimmer, C. (2015, May 6). Under the sea, a missing link in the evolution of complex cells. The New York Times.