Lesson 4: complexity and diversity
learning outcomes
By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
Define ‘complex’, ‘complicated’, and ‘keystone species’
Describe some of the ways that phage infection can be helpful
Describe how the smalls are the purest example of “look at what they do, not what they say”
Discuss the limits of science and describe what the dark matter of biology is
Start to pick apart the paralysis we can feel in the face of the complexity of life
Describe the value in tiny connections
additional resources
Additional resources are posted here for your general interest - the following aren’t integral to the learning but may be supportive. They include music, articles, interviews, writing, and primary scientific literature which you may (or may not) find interesting.
recommended viewing
articles and scientific papers
Most microbial species are dark matter
Nearly 8 miles down bacteria thrive in the oceans
The slow motion bacteria buried deep in the ocean floor
Anammox bacteria: from discovery to application
Production of sound waves by bacterial cells and the response of bacterial cells to sound