Microbiology Chrsitmas Game

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Holiday cheer is in the air! Join this festive quest to explore fascinating microbiology topics connected to the holiday season. Answer questions correctly to collect decorations and design your own beautiful Christmas tree!

Merry Microbial Christmas

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1. Balls

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Begin Your Quest

Did you know some bacteria can help turn water into ice and snow?

Let's build a snowman!

Ice-nucleating bacteria, like Pseudomonas syringae, play a fascinating role in creating snow. These bacteria produce proteins on their surfaces that act as ice nucleators, helping water molecules arrange into ice crystals. This process makes them essential in forming snowflakes naturally. Additionally, some companies use P. syringae-derived protein additives to make artificial snow for ski resorts. These bacteria influence the water cycle by promoting precipitation in clouds, showing how even tiny microbes can have a big impact on Earth's weather systems!

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Great job! You've earned some festive decorations for your Christmas tree!

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The Christmas Feast

Time for dinner! The Christmas feast is ready. Did you know that microbes play an important role in creating some of these festive favorites? Click on each food to learn more about their contributions!

NEXt

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Brain Break

CONTINUE

Click to reveal your new festive friends!

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Let's Find Out

Someone isn’t feeling well after the party—they are having stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea. Could it be something they ate that made them sick?

Oh No!

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The Last Enemy: Flu Season

I'm Ready to Fight!

Cough Cough

Flu Shot

Flip the cards to uncover its secrets

The flu spreads through tiny droplets that fly out when someone coughs, sneezes, or even talks. These droplets can hang in the air or land on surfaces, and others can catch the flu if they breathe them in or touch a contaminated surface. That’s why covering your mouth and washing your hands are so important!

A flu shot is a type of vaccine that teaches your immune system how to fight the flu. Vaccines use tiny, safe parts of the virus to "train" your body to recognize and attack the flu if you’re exposed to it. Getting vaccinated every year helps protect you and the people around you from getting sick!

Influenza Virus

Flu is caused by a virus, not bacteria. Viruses are much smaller than bacteria and can only survive and multiply inside living cells. The flu virus infects the respiratory system, causing symptoms like fever, coughing, and fatigue. Since it’s a virus, antibiotics don’t work!

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Well done! You've unlocked more decorations to brighten up your tree!

Decorate

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1.Balls

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Merry Microbial Christmas!

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Eggnog

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) like Lactobacillus contribute to traditional aged eggnog by fermenting the natural sugars in milk or cream, creating a subtle tangy flavor and enhancing its richness. This fermentation process also helps balance the sweetness while preserving the eggnog over time. Additionally, yeast is responsible for producing the alcohol that not only adds flavor but also prevents harmful bacterial growth, making the eggnog safe to enjoy after aging.

Blue Cheese

Blue cheese gets its bold flavor and signature blue veins from a special mold called Penicillium roqueforti. This friendly fungus is added to the cheese during production, and as the cheese ages, it grows into beautiful blue-green streaks, creating its unique taste. The mold also breaks down fats and proteins, giving the cheese its creamy texture and complex flavor. So next time you spot those blue streaks, don’t be shy—thank Penicillium for making your cheese so fancy and flavorful! 💙🧀

Bread

Bread owes its fluffy texture and rich aroma to the work of yeast, specifically Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This microbe ferments the sugars in flour, producing carbon dioxide gas that creates air pockets in the dough, making it rise. During baking, the heat causes the gas to expand further, resulting in the soft, airy structure we associate with freshly baked bread. So next time you enjoy bread, don’t forget to thank yeast for the magic!