Thiomargarita magnifica. Scientists discover “Mount Everest” among bacteria

Reuters quoted scientists as saying on Thursday that the bacteria were named Thiomargarita magnifica Not only is it because of its size – the huge of a single-celled organism that reaches about 2 cm in length – but also because its internal structure Completely different from any other bacteria known to science.

Its DNA does not float freely inside the cell, as is the case with most bacteria, but is contained in many small membrane-bound sacs.

It is thousands of times larger than normal size bacteria. Discover this bacteria Like meeting a man as tall as Mount Everest marine biologist said Jean Marie Voland From the Genome Institute and Research Laboratory of the US Department of Energy.

Bacteria are found in several places in GuadeloupeFrench archipelago Caribbean. It was first spotted in a swamp in sulfur-rich seawater by a microbiologist from the University of the Antilles. Olivier Gross.

– In 2009, I found long white fibers stuck to sunken mangrove leaves. He said I took them back to the lab for analysis.

The standard species of bacteria is 1-5 µm in length. This species, in turn, averages 10 thousand. micrometer (1 cm) in lengthand some Thiomargarita magnifica She is twice the length.

“It’s an order of magnitude larger than we thought was the maximum possible size for a single bacteria,” Foland said. – They are almost the same size and shape as the eyelashes – added.

The maximum length of the largest bacterium known to date is about 750 µm.

However, Thiomargarita magnifica is not the largest single-celled organism known. This title belongs to aquatic algae Caulerpa taxifoliaIt reaches a length of 15-30 cm.