Dr. José de Ondarza
Research
My Home | Research Home | Research Team | G-protein Project | Fiber Hydrolysis Project | Paramecium
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Dr. José de Ondarza |
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My Home | Research Home | Research Team | G-protein Project | Fiber Hydrolysis Project | Paramecium |
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As autumn rolls around, one cannot help but be impressed by the riotous
display of colors put on display by the region's trees - it seems that almost
every hue, from brown to red, orange to yellow, is present. And yet plants are
not the only organisms that sport such beautiful colors. Many microorganisms,
including algae, fungi and bacteria, also produce pigments. For some, these
serve a similar purpose - photosynthesis. For others, these pigments play a
protective role, for example to absorb UV radiation or to quench oxygen free
radicals. Other pigments have been suggested to have antibiotic properties. I am
interested in using these vivid microbes as teaching tools, to capture one's
interest and imagination and to draw one into science as a way of thinking and
discovering.