flagellum

What: "Also the prokaryote flagella are very different in structure from the eukaryotic flagella! Here's a good way to think about bacterial vs eukaryotic flagella. Imagine clamping a rope to a drill bit and turning the drill on. As the drill bit rotates the rope flops around as mechanical energy is transferred from the rotating drill bit. The rope itself is passive, only moving because it is getting energy from the drill bit. That is like the prokaryote flagellum. The eukaryotic flagellum is like holding a snake in your hand. The snake is moving on its own not because of mechanical energy from your hand. The snake is active."

Writer: Paul Decelles

LCC:

Where:

Date: Oct 29 2013 3:44 PM

What: "A good example in biology is the bacterial flagellum, the tail on a bacterium that provides propulsion. The flagellum is like an outboard motor. It has parts that resemble a propeller, a motor, a drive shaft, bushings, etc. If any one of the forty parts is missing, the flagellum doesn't work. Therefore, the flagellum could not have evolved piece by piece because if any piece is missing, it doesn't work at all!"

Writer: Lorraine Day, M.D

LCC:

Where:

Date: Oct 29 2013 3:47 PM

What: "As the ions flow into the flagellar cell, the rotor in the basal body revolves at up to 300 revolutions per second, so that the flagellar filament revolves like a propeller and causes the bacterium to move forward. The flagellum is like a well-designed nanomachine."

Writer: Koji Yonekura

LCC:

Where: Reference Link Has Evaporated

Date: Oct 29 2013 3:50 PM