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. 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.