Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are unicellular or cell-cluster microscopic organisms. This includes eukaryotes (with a nucleus) such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes (without a nucleus) such as bacteria and viruses (though viruses are not strictly classed as living organisms).

Although much is now known in the field of microbiology, advances are being made regularly. In actual fact, the most common estimates suggest that we have studied only about 1% of all of the microbes in any given environment. Thus, despite the fact that over three hundred years have passed since the discovery of microbes, the field of microbiology is clearly in its infancy relative to other biological disciplines such as zoology, botany or even entomology.

History

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Bacteria were first observed by Anton van Leeuwenhoek in 1676 using a single-lens microscope of his own design. The name "bacterium" was introduced much later, by Ehrenberg in 1828, derived from the Greek word βακτηριον meaning "small stick". While Antony van Leeuwenhoek is often cited as the first microbiologist, the first recorded microbiological observation, that of the fruiting bodies of molds, was made earlier in 1665 by Robert Hooke.

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NYT > Technology

Internet Companies and Ad Agencies Go From Old Enemies to New Friends
By ERIC PFANNER Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:43:12 -0000
The slowing growth in online advertising is pushing traditional ad agencies and Internet companies to work together.
What Did Shaq Just Tweet? A New Web Site Knows
By RICHARD SANDOMIR Sat, 04 Jul 2009 06:46:14 -0000
With more athletes using Twitter, Facebook and personal blogs, one Web site is trying to provide a centralized place for fans to keep up with the increasing amount of content.
Practical Travel: Twitter Comes to the Rescue
By MICHELLE HIGGINS Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:00:26 -0000
From bad airplane seats to poor room service, customers are getting surprisingly fast responses to their tweets.
Bits: Apple, Acer, and...Arrington?
By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER Sat, 04 Jul 2009 03:58:07 -0000
Michael Arrington, the founder of the TechCrunch blog, says he will begin selling the CrunchPad, a touch-screen tablet for Web surfing, later this summer.
Bits: How Much Did Michael Jackson Rock the Web?
By JENNA WORTHAM Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:23:45 -0000
Compete, an analytics firm, crunched some numbers to quantify the demand for Michael Jackson information after his death.
Bits: Google Drops News Comment Feature
By RICHARD PEREZ-PENA Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:13:12 -0000
Google has eliminated an experimental feature that allowed people quoted in articles in Google News to post comments on those articles.

NerdTV | PBS

NerdTV #13: Judy Estrin
Mon, 10 Apr 2006 12:00:00 -0700
Judy Estrin's career ranges from founder of Bridge Communications to CTO of Cisco to running Packet Design LLC. Quite the girl geek, eh?Download video:Entire Show:MPEG-4 | TorrentNerdy Bit:MPEG-4 | TorrentJuicy Bit:MPEG-4 | TorrentDownload subtitled video:Entire Show:With Subtitles | Torrent w/ SubtitlesNerdy Bit:With Subtitles | Torrent w/ SubtitlesJuicy Bit:With Subtitles | Torrent w/ SubtitlesDownload audio:Entire Show:MP3 | TorrentAAC | TorrentOgg Vorbis | Torrent
NerdTV #13: Judy Estrin - Transcript
Mon, 10 Apr 2006 12:00:00 -0700
For those who would rather read than watch or listen.
NerdTV Archives
Mon, 10 Apr 2006 12:00:00 -0700
Miss a past show? Check out our archives.Past guests include:#12: Bob KahnInventor of TCP/IP.#11: Doug EngelbartComputer mouse inventor.#10: Dan BricklinInventor of the Spreadsheet#9: AninaHigh Fashion Meets High Tech#8: Avram MillerCo-founder of Intel Capital#7: Dan DrakeCo-founder of Autodesk#6: Dave WinerFather of RSS and Web Logging#5: Tim O'ReillyOpen Source pioneer#4: Brewster KahleInternet Archive founder#3: Bill JoyCo-founder of Sun#2: Max LevchinCo-founder of PayPal#1: Andy HertzfeldThe first Macintosh programmer...ever

Reuters: Technology News

Treasure Hunt gets digital update in WiFi Venice
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:16:27 -0400
MILAN (Reuters) - Treasure Hunting will go fully digital on Friday night when players chase a mysterious oriental wand with special powers along the narrow streets and bridges of Venice.
Broadband industry group say U.S. rules go too far
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:59:13 -0400
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. government guidelines to spend $4 billion to expand broadband access to underserved areas across the United States may go beyond current laws, a broadband industry group, said on Thursday.
Bluetooth "Big Brother" tracks festival-goers
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:59:45 -0400
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Researchers are using Bluetooth technology to observe the meanderings of tens of thousands of festival-goers at a top European rock festival, hoping their findings will launch a new generation of tracking devices.

AP Top Technology News At 4:11 p.m. EDT

US wants privacy in new cyber security system
By LOLITA C. BALDOR Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:31:18 -0000
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration is moving cautiously on a new pilot program that would both detect and stop cyber attacks against government computers, while trying to ensure citizen privacy protections....
Web retailers, states tussle over tax rules
By RACHEL METZ Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:09:15 -0000
NEW YORK (AP) -- In a big break for online shoppers, Web retailers generally don't have to charge sales taxes in states where they lack a store or some other physical presence....
Companies pledge more openness about Web tracking
By DEBORAH YAO Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:43:40 -0000
Companies that track consumer behavior online for advertising purposes are vowing to make their practices more transparent and to give people a way to decline being shadowed....

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