Scientists have discovered the world's largest bacterium - which is large enough to be visible with the naked eye and looks like tiny white hairs - in a mangrove swamp in Guadeloupe, Caribbean. The information was published in the journal Science.
Thiomargarita magnifica, a reference to its exceptional size. According to a specialized portal, the bacterium has an average length of more than almost 1 centimeter. The cells of most bacterial species are about 0.002 millimeters long.
the megabacterium can grow up to 2 centimeters. "To understand how gigantic that is for a bacterium, it's the same as finding a human as tall as Mount Everest," study coordinator Jean-Marie Volland told CNN.
The comparisons don't stop there. The study revealed that more than 625,000 bacteria could fit on the surface of a single one of Thiomargarita magnifica.
According to the scientists, the giant bacteria grow in sediments at the bottom of sulfurous waters, where they harness the chemical energy of sulfur and use the oxygen in the surrounding water to produce sugars, according to Volland.
The discovery may reveal valuable information about the process that led to the emergence of more complicated living things, such as the ancestors of animals and plants. According to the scientists, there is no reason to fear any harmful effect of the megabacteria on human health.
It was previously thought that bacteria could not grow to a size visible to the naked eye because of the way they interact with the environment and produce energy.
But T. magnifica has an extensive membrane network that can produce energy, so it doesn't rely solely on the surface of the bacteria to absorb nutrients through its cell.
Unlike most bacteria, which have genetic material floating freely within their single cell, a T. magnifica cell has its DNA contained in small sacs, which have a membrane called nuggets.
"This was a very interesting discovery that opens up new questions, because it is not something that is classically observed in bacteria. It's actually a feature of more complex cells, the kind of cells that make up our bodies or animals and plants," Volland said, quoted in a statement.
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