Scientists have identified a macroscopic species of bacterium in the waters of a Caribbean mangrove swamp, changing the size of how big bacteria were thought to be. The new species, Thiomargarita magnifica, meaning “sulfur pearl,” is a huge thin white filament visible to the naked eye.
The bacterium also has a complex membrane organization and a predictable life cycle. It is by far the largest bacterium known to date, according to Jean-Marie Volland, a marine biologist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a co-author of a paper reporting the finding in the journal Science. The thin white thread is about the size of a human eyelash.
Scientists have not been able to grow the bacteria in lab culture yet. But they have been making discoveries about the bacteria anyway.
Source: www.smithsonianmag.com
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