Raw Paleo Diet Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: CitrusHigh on July 18, 2012, 11:12:49 am
Title: Unseen Diversity
Post by: CitrusHigh on July 18, 2012, 11:12:49 am
Just want to recommend (highly) an audiobook about bacteria. I'm only on lecture 5 but I've already learned a ton. I'm posting this here in the GenDisc because microbes are part of the foundation of this WoE.
Today in listening, I learned that due to Horizontal transfer, there may not even be different species of bacteria which totally blows my mind - also, remember, this is mainstream material here, nothing fringe about this. You will probably enjoy listening to it, given your enlightened understanding of what roles bacteria play in our lives and how crucial they are to our health.
I also learned about the archaebacteria and how they differ from other bacteria.
How the pigment develops in salts like Himalayan, etc.
Just really fascinating and I think there's something for everyone in here. You can skip the parts on the history of microbiology, they are interesting, but will annoy you if you're waiting for the meat of this work.
The Professor is kind of annoying too, a little tedious, but pretty soon the information overwhelms that aspect and you're just caught up in what you're learning about these little helpers. Enjoy! ___________________________________________________________________
THE MODERN SCHOLAR - 14 LECTURES Unseen Diversity: The World of Bacteria Professor Betsey Dyer Wheaton College
Course Overview: Bacteria are the most overlooked organisms on your nature walk. You see birds, trees, and wildflowers. You may even examine fungi, rock formations, mosses, lichens, nests, tracks, and insects. However, it is likely that you are not seeing bacteria even though you may know they are there in countless numbers, far outnumbering the other organisms, and that their influence on the environment is vast and profound.
Professor Betsey Dexter Dyer of Wheaton College examines the role of bacteria as major players in Earth’s biodiversity. In the course of these fascinating lectures, Professor Dyer delves into the history of microbiology, the four billion year history of bacteria and archaea as the dominant organisms on Earth, and the place of pathogens in the greater context of the bacterial world. This course serves as both a field guide for curious naturalists and a friendly introduction to the world of bacteria and archaea.
Course Syllabus Lecture 01 Introduction to the Bacterial World Lecture 02 Hidden in Plain Sight Lecture 03 Seventeenth-Century Microscopy and the Discovery of Bacteria Lecture 04 A Brief History of Bacteriology Lecture 05 The Family Tree of Bacteria Lecture 06 The Extremophiles Lecture 07 An Enormous and Diverse Group: The Proteobacteria Lecture 08 An Enormous and Diverse Group: The Gram Positives Lecture 09 Gram Positives in the Soil Community Lecture 10 Bacteria as Pathogens Lecture 11 What About the Viruses? Lecture 12 Cyanobacteria: The Original Photosynthesizers Lecture 13 Diverse Metabolisms Lecture 14 Future Directions
Title: Re: Unseen Diversity
Post by: Projectile Vomit on July 18, 2012, 08:34:31 pm
I don't see how to actually download the files.
Title: Re: Unseen Diversity
Post by: CitrusHigh on July 19, 2012, 12:27:33 am
You've got to have a bit torrent client, I use uTorrent, free and awesome. Then you look around for 'download torrent' there are other download options, but I would avoid if you don't need them.
Title: Re: Unseen Diversity
Post by: CitrusHigh on July 19, 2012, 12:32:19 am
Eric you will totally love this, teaches bacteria tracking to incorporate in to wilderness awareness. I never realized there was a field guide for these microbes!
Title: Re: Unseen Diversity
Post by: Dorothy on July 19, 2012, 03:38:48 am
I go NUTS for the modern scholar series.
Basically you can get dozens of college degrees worth of knowledge from the best teachers in the world paying nuthin'!
Thanks for the heads up.
Title: Re: Unseen Diversity
Post by: CitrusHigh on July 19, 2012, 05:45:23 am
I'm sayin' Dorothy! It's awesome! Personally I prefer audiobooks because often the writers are able to make the subject more engaging and less dry, but really grateful for TMS just the same.
Also just to be clear, this lecture is obviously not a field guide, though it will give you field marks and lots of info about groups of microbes. I'm hunting the "Field Guide to Bacteria" right now, but so far no luck. May be something necessary to purchase if someone is serious about learning their microbes intimately.
Title: Re: Unseen Diversity
Post by: Alive on July 21, 2012, 11:06:42 pm
That's cool.
Jeff Leach is doing interesting research analyzing the DNA of gut microbiota of an African tribe - he just studies the combined DNA profile, so wouldn't notice the horizontal gene transfers.
He has some interesting points about these microbes and health: "It is well established that byproducts associated with the fermentation of the prebiotics by Bifidobacterium, such as short-chain fatty acids (butyrate, propionate and lactate) positively effect gut barrier (reduce leaking) and improve tight junctions between gut epithelial cells. Therefore, by stimulating the growth of species of Bifidobacterium you may lower endotoxemia and improve or avoid any metabolic disturbances. Further improvement in barrier function has recently been linked crosstalk between the gut microbiota and the endocannabinoid system (a group of neuromodulatory lipids and their receptors)."
..."Given the dynamic relationship that is emerging between diet and the composition of our microbiome, researchers have observed that adult germ-free mice had 40% less body fat their germ-bearing (conventionalized) littermates consuming the same diet. Astonishingly, when germ-free mice are colonized with the gut microbiota from genetically obese mice (ob/ob), the otherwise lean mice dramatically increase body weight. In short, gut bugs salvage energy from otherwise non-digestible polysaccharides – think dietary fiber – through special enzymes they encode and our genome does not, which in turn increases circulating glucose and insulin levels and thus weight. These and countless other experiments in mouse and human models have firmly established the role of the microbiome in energy homeostasis."
Title: Re: Unseen Diversity
Post by: CitrusHigh on July 21, 2012, 11:33:50 pm
Positively fascinating Miker! You are rapidly becoming one of my favorite source of RE-sources LoL!
Bruce lipton just blew my mind again today, so grateful for the introduction, thank you!
Title: Re: Unseen Diversity
Post by: Dorothy on July 22, 2012, 05:58:28 am
He Alve, now if someone comments that I've gained some weight, I'll tell them that's it's just my bacteria that are eating more - not me! ;)
Title: Re: Unseen Diversity
Post by: Alive on July 22, 2012, 07:02:06 am
Thanks Thoth O0 I emailed Jeff Leach suggesting he also study the gut DNA profile of RAVFers from this forum. He replied he was looking into it, which was nice to get a reply. His DNA profiles would show show which genes were the most successful / useful for the diet + physical environment present in the gut. It will be interesting to see what kind of health testing this might lead to in the future.
Hey Dorothy, I'm sure you must be in perfect shape on a mostly raw egg + RVF diet?
Title: Re: Unseen Diversity
Post by: Dorothy on July 22, 2012, 07:33:30 am
Nope Alive. Ending a little over a year ago I was taking care of my mother 24 hours a day under extremely high stress and literally didn't sleep for about 6 months straight. I ate LOTS of raw salmon and raw egg yolks all night long to keep my brain and cns functioning. As soon as I started to sleep I gained a bunch of weight 20 - 30 pounds because my brain still needed all that fat to heal and I pretty much kept on eating what I needed to eat staying up 24 hours a day although I was no longer doing it. Food can also be comforting and I needed the comfort.
I'm still not willing to cut down on what I eat because I feel how much my brain needs it (actually - the increases in my brain function, memory, ability to problem solve and spiritual/psychic abilities have been the one real benefit I've gotten from eating paleo) so I'm starting to exercise instead - hopefully I will have 20 pounds become muscle soon. Hit It Raw made me a high intensity training program that I really like and I think it will get me in better shape than I've ever been before - fingers crossed.
I'm certainly not overweight by most standards - probably perfect for the "charts" - it's just not what I'm used to and not how I feel the most flexible and comfortable in my body - so far from "perfect" for me.
Was that more than you wanted to know? lol
Title: Re: Unseen Diversity
Post by: Chris on July 22, 2012, 02:48:57 pm
Thanks for posting! I'll have to check it out, sounds interesting.
Title: Re: Unseen Diversity
Post by: CitrusHigh on August 13, 2012, 11:42:44 pm
Ok, bummer but Demonoid was raided by the Unkrainian terrorists known as "the government" and the domain was seized, you can buy it though if you want to!
Anyhoo, just became aware of another audiobook by Dyer that will no doubt be illuminating and help clear up some ideas about genetics, and possible fog some of them as well since she will be coming from (albeit a more reasonable) conventional school of thought regarding microbiology.
This should probably go in the sticky section here though care not if it makes it there. Same with Unseen diversity, since genetics and microbes are at the foundation of this way of eating.