Pretty amazing when you think of how small most bacteria are.
A team of scientists discovered a macroscopic species of bacterium living in the waters off Guadeloupe in the Caribbean, shifting the scales of how big we thought bacteria could be. The newly discovered species is named Thiomargarita (sulfur pearl) magnifica, and it is so large that its single cells are visible to the naked eye.
Besides its superlative size, T. magnifica shows signs of increased complexity in bacteria. Instead of its DNA just floating around in the cell, its genetic information is tucked away within membrane-bound structures, as ours is. A full analysis of the newly described bacteria is published today in Science.
A team of scientists discovered a macroscopic species of bacterium living in the waters off Guadeloupe in the Caribbean, shifting the scales of how big we thought bacteria could be. The newly discovered species is named Thiomargarita (sulfur pearl) magnifica, and it is so large that its single cells are visible to the naked eye.
Besides its superlative size, T. magnifica shows signs of increased complexity in bacteria. Instead of its DNA just floating around in the cell, its genetic information is tucked away within membrane-bound structures, as ours is. A full analysis of the newly described bacteria is published today in Science.
