Microbiology is an important basic science which also has important practical applications.
Most of the great ideas of the twentieth century, in biology, came from Microbiology, and include the demonstration that DNA is genetic information and how it is transmtted from generation to generation, the mechanisms of DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis, the mechanisms of gene expression and gene regulation, and the nature of mutations and the mechanisms by which antibioitics function. All these concepts will be discussed so that this course will provide a firm foundation for more advanced courses in Microbiology and other areas of Biology. To be able to understand these ideas, some basic facts must be memorized, including the attached lists of chemical strucutures and bacteria. Second, the important practical applications of Microbiology affect all of us on a daily basis. Some of these applications will be discussed, including growth of bacteria and bacterial viruses, antibiotic use, gene cloning, gene sequencing, and biotechnology.