---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Learning Kingdom's Cool Fact of the Day for March 8, 1999 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- What kind of single-celled organisms have no nuclei? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Most living cells contain a nucleus, a semi-enclosed compartment where the cell's DNA (genetic material) is stored, but bacteria just have a single, looped DNA molecule, tangled into a mass called the nucleoid. Bacteria are the simplest life forms on Earth, and the most ancient. There are no sub-compartments inside bacterial cells, just a rich, syrupy liquid, thick with enzymes and other organic molecules. Bacteria prosper by growing and dividing as fast as possible. Because they are small and simple, they can be fast and hardy. If the environment is good, the population of some bacteria can double in 20 minutes. More about bacteria: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/bacteria.html A previous Cool Fact about bacteria: http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1999/02/09.html A previous Cool Fact about cells without nuclei: http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1998/04/28.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Cool Fact of the Day list membership: 79,698 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To subscribe, visit http://www.tlk-lists.com/join/ To unsubscribe, visit http://www.tlk-lists.com/change/ To become a sponsor, visit http://www.tlk-lists.com/sponsor/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright (c) 1999, The Learning Kingdom, Inc. http://www.LearningKingdom.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------