Bacteria+-+KB

=Introduction= toc Bacteria, we encounter them every day. They're in our bodies and in the air. Bacteria can even be on other items such as coffee mugs. Did you know 20% of office coffee mugs contain **Fecal bacteria**? That’s pretty gross if you ask me. Your coffee mug sits on your desk, but what you don’t know is how much bacteria is actually on that desk. 400 times the amount of bacteria found on a toilet! Time to bust out the disinfectant, but while you’re at it you might as well clean your cell phone too. Cell phones can carry 18 times the bacteria that is found on toilets. Yuk! Those bacteria can cause sickness in humans and animals, but they’re not all bad some bacteria are actually helpful. Read on to learn more.

= What is a bacteria? = Bacteria also known as bacterium is a s ingle celled microbe. Bacteria don’t have a nucleus or membrane bound organelles. Instead t heir control center containing the genetic information is contained in a single loop of **DNA**. Bacteria are often the cause of human and animal disease. However, certain bacteria can produce **Antibiotics.** These bacteria are important to our everyday lives. Some bacteria degrade organic compounds for energy, without those bacteria, the earth would have no soil in which to grow plants. Bacteria living in the gut can help animals and humans break down food. These bacteria are essential for both animal and human life. They help maintain the conditions necessary for food digestion. Without them we wouldn't be able to digest our food properly. Some bacteria live on the root **N****odules** of certain plants, for example, peas, beans and clover. They are able to ‘fix’ atmospheric nitrogen into a form that can be absorbed by the plant as a fertilizer. Don’t forget bacteria also helps us produce beer, yogurt, cheese, bread, soy sauce and even chocolate. We need bacteria as much as they need us.

= How does bacteria cause sickness? = Have you ever went to a restaurant and ordered a steak? The waitress/waiter probably asked you how you wanted your meat cooked. They do this because if they under cook the meat it can be bad for your health. Under cooked meat can cause **Salmonella**. Raw eggs, poultry, dairy products and shellfish may also contain salmonella. Food must be prepared in a certain way so the bacteria is destroyed. Some foods must be heated to remove bacteria while other have to be chilled.

= Friendly Bacteria = Bacteria might be tiny but they are very important in our everyday lives. They are some bacteria that can hurt us ,but most of the bacteria that we find on or in our bodies are good bacteria. In our bodies millions of little bacteria thrive. There are even bacteria in your intestines. These bacteria help break down the food that our bodies can’t digest. Once the bacteria breaks down the food, your intestines absorb the nutrients and make you healthy. Bacteria can also help produce food. For example blue cheese is made when bacteria is injected into blue cheese before the **Curds** form while others have bacteria mixed in with the curds after they form. = The Life of Bacteria = A Bacterium is reproduced by binary  fission. This process is when the bacterium, which is a single cell, divides into two identical daughter cells. Binary fission begins when the DNA of the bacterium divides into two replicas. When the Bacterium has split, the two bacteria ‘swim’ away. The bacteria then begin their new lives in foods, ponds, slow moving streams, in plants and in the air. These bacteria are either picked up by humans or animals or are left to live on their own. If the bacteria gets into the body of an animal or person it can make them sick.

=Ending = Bacteria are an essential for life. Though there are bad bacteria there are also good ones. Bacteria can teach us lots of important things. We should study them so we can finally understand how bacteria function in their everyday lives. It’s good for people to learn all the ways that bacteria can be an ally in times of need.

= = = Words to know = **Salmonella**- it is a type of food poisoning. **DNA**- also known as Deoxyribonucleic acid, is a molecule that contains the genetic instructions used in the development of a living organism. **Antibiotics**- A medicine that stops the growth of microorganisms.
 * Curds ** -  are a dairy product obtained by curdling (coagulating) milk.
 * Nodules -** This occurs when a plant forms a symbiotic relationship with a with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
 * Fecal bacteria- **feces, waste, poo

=**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Fun facts! **= <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-All of the bacteria in our body collectively weighs about 4 pounds. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-There's more bacteria in your mouth than there are people in the world. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-Chocolate has an antibacterial effect on the mouth and protect against tooth decay. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-When two people kiss, they exchange between 10 million to 1 billion bacteria. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-The strongest creatures on Earth are gonorrhea bacteria. They can pull 100,000 times their own body weight. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-Offices with more male employees have far more bacteria. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-New bacteria grows on a kitchen sponge every 20 minutes.

= = =<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Bibliography =

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