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Dictionary » F » Flagellum

Flagellum

Definition

noun, plural: flagella

(biology) Long, slender, threadlike, whiplike extension of certain cells or unicellular organisms used mainly for movements (others for signal transduction).

(botany) A runner.

(entomolgy) A clavola, the whiplike portion above the basal joints in an insect antenna.


Supplement

In bacteria, the flagella are helical filaments made up of the protein, flagellin, and rotate like screws. In eukaryotes, such as in cells of animals, plants and protists, they are made up of microtubules surrounded by the plasma membrane and enable the cells to move in a whip-like fashion.

Some flagella are not used for movement but in sensation and signal transduction by various cell types, e.g. rod photoreceptor cells of the eye, olfactory receptor neurons of the nose, kinocilium in cochlea of the ear.


Word origin: Latin, diminutive of flagrum, whip.

Related forms: flagellar (adjective).
Related terms: hispid flagella, bacterial flagella.

See also: fimbria.


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Refutation of Evolution theory

... bullshit. His book is awesome (Finding Darwin's God) but a lot of his arguments are on Youtube. Try around minute 40 on this one for the bacterial flagellum stuff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVRsWAjvQSg If you're thinking "but I'm talking about the origin of life, not flagella!" ...

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by Luxorien
Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:28 pm
 
Forum: Evolution
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... view of organisms, a sort of sum total of biological machines. The very icon of the ID community is presented as an outboard motor. (the bacterial flagellum). When something is designed, there is always a purpose to the design. The various parts that go into that design always grow out of that ...

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by scottie
Fri Sep 16, 2011 3:51 pm
 
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by TemporalV01D
Tue Feb 08, 2011 1:48 pm
 
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by scorpion9
Wed Jul 28, 2010 9:21 pm
 
Forum: Evolution
Topic: sensory cells
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Improbability and testability

... Continuing from this, cdesign proponentsists will argue that evolution is simply unfalsifiable — if biologists can "explain" the flagellum, they can "explain" absolutely anything. Biologists counter, "What about a rabbit in the Precambrian, or a living crocoduck?" ...

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by Lenoxus
Mon Apr 26, 2010 12:37 am
 
Forum: Evolution
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