The simplest free-living organism is Mycoplasma genitalium, with a genome of 580,000 base pairs and 482 protein-coding genes. Carsonella ruddii has the smallest genome of 159,662 base pairs and 182 genes but cannot live on its own. Nanoarchaeum equitans was previously thought to be the simplest organism. Viruses are smaller and simpler than bacteria. Craig […]
Unicellular organisms, including bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes, are the majority of life on Earth. They vary in size and survival strategies, with some having flagella or lobopodia. Four of the six eukaryotic supergroups are exclusively single-celled. They can be observed with a light microscope or electron microscope. A unicellular organism is any form of life […]
Organisms are classified into three domains: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukaryota. A fourth domain, Acytota, represents viruses and pseudo-organisms, and a fifth, Nanobiota, represents small filamentary structures. The most important division is between prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, followed by unicellular and multicellular, and plants and animals. Aerobic and anaerobic organisms are also important. The discovery of […]
Genes exist in different forms called alleles. Homozygous organisms have two identical alleles, while heterozygous organisms have two different alleles. Genotypes determine the phenotype, which is influenced by how different alleles interact. Dominant alleles are expressed over recessive alleles, while incomplete dominance results in an intermediate phenotype. The snapdragon is an example of incomplete dominance. […]
