In a Caribbean mangrove, researchers discovered the biggest microbe ever discovered.
The bacteria can be seen with the human eye since it is large enough. Thiomargarita magnifica, despite being thin and tubular, ‘stretched more than a centimetre in length,’ according to research published in Science. It is said to have a 2-centimeter growth potential.
Researchers discovered that the bacterium has an average cell length of more than 9000 micrometres.
According to the study, the majority of bacterial species’ cells have a length of roughly 2 micrometres, with some of the largest specimens exceeding 750 micrometres.
Although researchers believe the bacterium evolved to escape being eaten by smaller species, scientists are still unsure how the organism came to be so enormous.
In Guadeloupe, mangrove leaves were where the Thiomargarita magnifica was first found.
It is 5,000 times larger than the majority of bacteria, according to Jean-Marie Volland, a scientist with dual posts at the US Department of Energy (DOE). To put that into perspective, it would be comparable to one person running into another who is as tall as Mount Everest.
Silvina Gonzalez-Rizzo, an assistant professor of molecular biology, commented on the relatively unusual name of the compound: ‘Magnifica because magnus in Latin means big and I think it’s wonderful like the French word magnifique.’
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