New bacterium roughly the size, shape of an eyelash smashes size record - fivenewscrypto
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samedi 25 juin 2022

New bacterium roughly the size, shape of an eyelash smashes size record

New bacterium roughly the size, shape of an eyelash smashes size record
samedi 25 juin 2022
The bacteria, <em>Ca. Thiomargarita magnifica</em>, discovered in the French Caribbean mangroves is a member of the genus <em>Thiomargarita</em>.

Enlarge / The bacteria, Ca. Thiomargarita magnifica, discovered in the French Caribbean mangroves is a member of the genus Thiomargarita. (credit: Tomas Tyml)

Clinging to sunken debris in shallow, marine mangrove forests in the French Caribbean, tiny thread-like organisms—perfectly visible to the naked eye—have earned the title of the largest bacteria ever known.

Measuring around a centimeter long, they are roughly the size and shape of a human eyelash, batting away the competition at 5,000 times the size of garden-variety bacteria and 50 times the size of bacteria previously considered giant. In human terms, this is akin to coming across a person as tall as Mount Everest.

Olivier Gros, a biologist at the University of the Antilles, discovered the prokaryotes in 2009, noticing them gently swaying in the sulfur-rich waters among the mangroves in the Guadeloupe archipelago. The bacteria clung to the leaves, branches, oyster shells, and bottles that sunk into the tropical swamp, Gros said in a press briefing.

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