Thiomargarita magnifica – the largest bacteria ever found
In the mangroves of Guadeloupe, in the Caribbean, scientists discovered the biggest single-cell bacteria: Thiomargarita magnifica. T. magnifica is a sulfur-oxidizing bacterium, it survives by oxidizing sulfur. The species is 50 times bigger than any other known bacteria. According to Jean-Marie Volland (lead author of the research): “It would be like a human encountering another human as tall as Mount Everest”
Credit:
A centimeter-long bacterium with DNA contained in metabolically active membrane-bound organelles
Volland JM, Gonzalez-Rizzo S, Gros O, et al.
Science, 2022 DOI: 10.1126/science.abb3634
Images and video footage courtesy of Jean-Marie Volland