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Wed 21 Mar, 2007 10:21 pm
I wonder odd things like what is the speed of bacteria? Someone at MIT did a definitive study on the 5-second rule a couple years ago. She found that food dropped on the floor picked up the bacteria there within 5 seconds. What if it had been a half a second? Would it mater if the food dropped or the floor was wet or dry? Can bacteria jump? If you held a slice of toast, butter side down of course, a hair's breadth above the floor, could the bacteria get to it?
How about chemical reactions? We've been studying water in big-people school (I teach elementary and take master's classes). I know that dropping detergent into water breaks the bond of the H2O beyond the immediate area of the droplets of detergent. Right? So, how fast the the chemical reaction happen? Say there was two liquid which would bond together, if you poured a thin stream of one into another, could the chemical reaction swim upstream, so to speak?
i found a thing on the five seconds rule at snopes. it's a fluke, of course. although they don't really dissect the precise speed of the bacteria. i tried to copy and paste the text, but it won't let me. so here's the
link instead.
Of course it makes sense that it's not true. Never believed it anyway.
Also... does the strength of the attraction make the chemical reaction occur faster?
A millisecond. As soon as whatever it is touches the bacteria, it's on it. So if you can live by the millisecond rule, you're good.
for me, yes.... for bacteria...i've not the first clue. they would have to have a sense of smell or sight no? how do they even know that something fell right next to them and decide to jump?
I'm reasonably sure that bacteria can only move under their own power in liquid.
I could be wrong, of course.
ah, if you're a guy and were peeing into a filthy toilet and you were, er, short or long depending, could a bacterium swim upstream to get to you?
it depends on how fiercely you pee! if you just tinkle, then watch out!!!
Doubt if they can move that fast, but certainly Proteus can swim well enough to get get from the end of the urethra to the bladder, and, if unchecked, thence up to the kidney.
That's a pretty good swim.
Is that a chin-stroking or lip-smacking hmmm?
She's twiddling with the uncooperative end of her handlebar mustache...
Myth Busters did an episode on this myth. As I recall the type of food was more important than anything else.
Here is their result..
Quote:They found that the amount of bacteria that was picked up depended on the moisture of food, the surface geometry of food, and the location that it was dropped on, but there was no correlation to the amount of time it was dropped.
source
It was a hmmmm in cosideration of that bacterium. It has to swim up the uer...eru...urethra(?) - does it get to the bladder before the guy pees next? Does it lodge in the wall of the bladder to keep itself from flushing out?
Not under their own power, bacteria can be blown about, in zee wind and with flushes, and and and, oh, brooms, sponges..
Trying to remember about bacterial cell flagellae; I had a teacher who was an expert in that, but I forgot it all now. Moisture, however scant, makes sense as a required medium for the little dickenses.
patiodog wrote:Doubt if they can move that fast, but certainly Proteus can swim well enough to get get from the end of the urethra to the bladder, and, if unchecked, thence up to the kidney.
That's a pretty good swim.
One of the reasons we (Men)need to pee after sex is to flush out foriegn bacteria picked up from those dirty filthy disgusting disease ridden..... oh! wait on...
Particularly important if you've got a stenotic pee-tube...
ossobuco wrote:Not under their own power, bacteria can be blown about, in zee wind and with flushes, and and and, oh, brooms, sponges..
Sponges! <off to microwave sponge again>
<you know I don't get the bacteria fear thing>
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