News vs pharmacy
English headlines skip the regulatory gap. A trial is not a yogurt aisle.
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Familiarity42
Medical weight40
Benefit62
Risk15
Research78
Live debate45
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Each bar is a 0-100 atlas score for this topic, not a timeline.
Both scores stay visible. Drag the slider to emphasize Benefit or Risk.
Benefit
Risk
Familiarity
42%
Milestones in order. This is history, not a weekly activity grid.
- Twort's glassy colonies
- d'Hérelle names phage
- Eliava Institute
- Luria–Delbrück
- Hershey–Chase
- MS2 RNA phage
- CRISPR spacer proof
- Compassionate phage cases
Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology
Encounter route pick
Pick one encounter or route already written on this topic and reopen it next time.
Classroom literacy — not a lab result, diagnosis or outbreak alert.
Route on this page
One encounter scale
Scale literacy. Not a lab result or a diagnosis.
Quick facts
Bacteria (not human cells)Hosts
1917 — d'Hérelle, bacteriophageNamed
1915 — Twort, glassy coloniesFirst observation
On the order of 10^31 particlesAbundance
About 110 nm longT4 head size
Concept only — no protocolsTherapy stance here
Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. They are not cells, not human pathogens, and not a supermarket probiotic. Many tailed forms inject DNA and, in the lytic path, burst the host.
They may be the most numerous biological particles on Earth. Bacteria remember them with CRISPR. People noticed them in 1915–1917, then built molecular biology on their backs.
Phage therapy exists as a concept and as limited clinical practice. This atlas explains the idea and refuses recipes, isolation steps and engineering instructions.
42FamiliarityEditorial 0–100 browsing aid within this atlas.
40Medical weightEditorial 0–100 browsing aid within this atlas.
62BenefitEditorial 0–100 browsing aid within this atlas.
15RiskEditorial 0–100 browsing aid within this atlas.
Bacteriophages — concrete atlas depth on Tool-Lifes.
Bacteriophages — concrete atlas depth on Tool-Lifes.
Viruses that eat bacteria
English biotech copy loves phage. Georgian and Polish clinic history is real; a capsule in a US drugstore is not the same story.
Tbilisi story
Phage clinics in Georgia are history and ongoing practice — still not a DIY brief.
Public-health desks
Phages are discussed as one future tool against resistance. They are not a reason to skip medical care.
The profile
- Familiarity42
- Medical weight40
- Benefit62
- Risk15
- Research78
- Live debate45
Risk
Viruses that infect bacteria — Earth's most abundant biological entities, and a concept-level idea in medicine.
Seven ways into this topic
Related on the scale
Slide across the log scale — teaching sizes, not lab measurements.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I start with Bacteriophages?
Read Identity → How they live → Body & health, then use compare rails.
Is this page advice for Bacteriophages?
Public-health education — not a care plan, prescription, or outbreak briefing.
What does the local lens add?
It names everyday desks for Tree of microbes before English norms look universal.
Are the scores a ranking of Bacteriophages?
No — editorial 0–100 browsing aids inside this atlas only.
How do I compare Bacteriophages to neighbours?
Use related cards and best-of / quiz rails after the first three chapters.
Which chapter is densest?
How they live and Body & health carry mechanisms; skim Identity first.
Can I cite these scores externally?
Treat them as atlas orientation, not certificates or forecasts.
What should I check before acting?
Primary desks for Tree of microbes: public-health desks and lab teaching frames.
Sources & research
More in Tree of microbes
Bacteria
Single-celled prokaryotes with cell walls — the oldest widespread life form, and both partners and pathogens.
Familiarity 95Viruses
Packets of DNA or RNA that are not cells — they replicate only inside living hosts.
Familiarity 96Fungi
A eukaryotic kingdom of yeasts, moulds and mushrooms — chitin walls, external digestion, partners of plants.
Familiarity 80Archaea
A prokaryotic domain that is not bacteria — methanogens, extremophiles and no known human pathogens.
Familiarity 35Protozoa
Motile unicellular eukaryotes — a teaching grade that includes pond ciliates and a minority of serious parasites.
Familiarity 58