Bacterial Space Menace
I decided to call my art project the Bacterial Space Invader. It’s a model of a T4 bacteriophage, a common bacterial virus. Bacteriophages have always been some of my favorite micro organisms. They have a futuristic look and appeal to them. It takes no stretch of the imagination to picture a UFO similar to the T4 phage to descend into our skies and release a race of mind controlling aliens who lead us to our own demise; much as the bacteriophage takes control of a cell. The Bacteriophage uses its tails fibers to attach to the surface of the bacteria, then drives the tail through the cell wall. The DNA stored in the head of the virus is injected into the bacteria where it will be inserted into the bacterial chromosome and follow either the lytic or lysogenic life cycle. The materials used were styrofoam balls, toothpicks, pipe cleaners and foam.