You Have Isolated a Microbe from an Environmental Sample

question 28

Essay

You have isolated a microbe from an environmental sample. The microbe has the ability to perform a new metabolic reaction at a very low temperature, so you are excited that it could be a new species. What experiments should you perform to determine if your isolate is truly a new species? What process will you follow to officially name your isolate?

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Definitions:

Golf

A sport involving hitting a small ball into a series of holes with the least number of strokes possible, using various clubs.

Tennis

A racket sport that can be played individually against a single opponent or between two teams of two players each, where players hit a ball over a net trying to score points against opponents.

Curds

Soft, white substance formed when milk coagulates, used as the basis for cheese making or eaten directly as a food product.

Whey

The liquid byproduct of cheese production, rich in proteins and lactose, often used in food products and nutritional supplements.