Bacteria live their tiny lives in the microscopic world. But scientists now have a huge one that is the same size as a human eyelash.
Jean-Marie Volland, of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Laboratory for Research in Complex Systems), says that the new discovery is “by far” the largest known bacteria. These bacteria are approximately 5,000 times more than the majority of bacteria.
He said, “To put things in perspective, it is the equivalent for us humans encountering another human who would have been as tall as Mount Everest.”
According to Science, the behemoth of roughly 1 cm attaches to mangrove swamps in the Caribbean.
The scientist who first collected the white filaments didn’t know that he had discovered a new type of bacteria.
However, a laboratory examination revealed that they did not possess key characteristics of animal or plant cells. A genetic analysis quickly revealed their true nature. They are related to other bacteria, but they don’t grow as large as this.
Thiomargarita magnifica is now the name of these bacteria. Although they have not been grown in a lab yet, much remains to be discovered about their lives, including how they benefit from their environment underwater.
These bacteria not only challenge old ideas about maximum size but also organize their innards in a unique way.
These beings don’t allow genetic material to roam free like bacteria, but wrap it up and place it in a package. This is similar to the way complex cells like those that make up animals and plants, but it’s not as simple.
Volland warns that this does not mean that these bacteria are some sort of “missing link” between simpler forms of life and more complex forms of life. He says it’s just “fascinating” to see a bacterium with a higher level complexity.
Thijs Ettema at Wageningen University & Research, a microbiologist who wasn’t part of the research team, said that finding these inside bacterias, and their incredible size, is still “a truly remarkable find.”
Ettema stated in an email that “the researchers have identified a true’microbial monster’.” Their work demonstrates that the microbial world continues its amazement to us.
These bacteria cannot be rightly called microbes because microbes by definition are microscopic. Petra Anne Levin, Washington University in St Louis, wrote a commentary to accompany the new report.
Furthermore, unlike bacteria, which divide into two identical cells, these filament-like organisms seem to reproduce by creating a small, floating piece at their tip. This can be used to create another being.
Researchers found that the organisms could hold hundreds of thousands of smaller bacteria on their outside surfaces. However, this suggests that they might secrete an antibiotic to protect themselves from smaller relatives.
Shailesh Date, University of California, San Francisco and Laboratory for Research in Complex Systems, said that the discovery of this bacterium has “really opened our eyes to how much microbial diversity exists.” “Really, we are only scratching the surface. Who knows what new and exciting things we will discover.”
