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Bacteria: Many Friends, Few Enemies, Page 1 of 2
< Previous page Next page > /docserver/preview/fulltext/10.1128/9781683670117/9781683670100_ch1-1.gif /docserver/preview/fulltext/10.1128/9781683670117/9781683670100_ch1-2.gifAbstract:
Bacteria are unicellular living organisms that make up one of the three domains of life: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukaryota (Fig. 1). This model of three branches stemming from a common ancestor was first proposed by Carl Woese in 1977. The absence of a nucleus is one major difference between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Eukaryota or eukaryotes include animals, plants, fungi, and protozoa, which all have nuclei; bacteria and archaea are prokaryotes and do not have a nucleus. The DNA of prokaryotes is non-membrane bound, unlike in eukaryotes. But do not assume that bacteria are merely small sacks full of disorderly contents. Their “interior” is in fact very well organized.