Haiku for V. Harveyi
Dolphin Rider,
spills flask
of bioluminescent revelations.
by JeM YinJoy
What It Does for the Environment
In applied science, Vibrio harveyi is an integral part of studying inter- and intra-bacterial communication, quorum sensing, as well as bioluminescence.
Sequencing of the genome will undoubtedly contribute to further understanding of how bacteria sense the world around them and then make decisions based on their environment.
These studies may lead to being able to manipulate how bacteria work as a group to clean up toxic waste. But, V. harveyi itself causes problems in seafood and thus affects sea food worldwide.
The Vibrio harveyi genome has recently been sequenced and recent research has uncovered the regulatory mechanism for quorum sensing mode in these bacteria.
Perhaps, as more information is known on how V. harveyi talks to her sister cells, she still can redeem herself and contribute to improvements in microbe-based bioremediation.
For the Spiritual Lessons by this Microbial Teacher, watch this Who's Your Microbe? video!
Joy, JeM