Last known information

The concept of "last known information" is not something that comes up frequently in Magic the Gathering. Thus it's not surprising that it might sometimes be unclear what exactly happens in certain situations.

For example, assume that there's a germ token equipped with Mortarpod, soulbonded with a Tandem Lookout.

Because of the soulbond ability, whenever the Germ deals damage to an opponent, its controller draws a card. However, if the Germ's controller now uses its "Sacrifice this creature: This creature deals 1 damage to target creature or player" ability, will he or she draw a card?

Is there any difference if instead of being soulbonded to Tandem Lookout, the Germ had been soulbonded with a Nearheath Pilgrim?

Since the Germ token is not on the battlefield by the time the ability that Mortarpod grants resolves, this is a situation where the last known information is used to determine what happens. As the Oracle ruling clarification for Mortarpod says, "if you sacrifice the equipped creature to deal 1 damage to a target creature or player, the damage is dealt by the creature as it last existed on the battlefield."

The important thing to understand is that the last known information is used to determine, and only affects, the effect that requires that information. In other words, when the ability granted by Mortarpod resolves, it looks to the object as it last existed on the relevant zone (in this case the battlefield) to determine if it had anything that affects the damage. For example, if it had infect, then the damage will be done in the form of -1/-1 counters or poison counters. If it had deathtouch, the target creature will be destroyed. If it had lifelink, then its controller gains that much life, and so on.

That answers the second question: Since the Germ had lifelink (due to being soulbonded to Nearheath Pilgrim), its controller will gain 1 life at the same time as 1 damage is dealt.

What about the first case, then? Will the Germ's controller draw a card?

Note that the card-drawing ability does not affect in any way how the damage is dealt. Therefore it's not something that the damage ability is looking for to determine how the damage is dealt.

The card-drawing ability does not exist anymore by the time the damage is dealt (because the Germ token is long gone.) Therefore there's nothing to trigger. Thus the answer to the first question is that the player does not draw a card.