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World's biggest bacterium found in Caribbean mangrove swamp
Published on 25 Jun 2022
- Scientists have discovered the world's largest bacterium in a Caribbean mangrove swamp.
- Most bacteria are microscopic, but this one is so big it can be seen with the naked eye.
- The researcher first spotted the strange filaments in a patch of sulphur-rich mangrove sediment in 2009.
- Techniques including electronic microscopy revealed it was a bacterial organism, but there was no guarantee it was a single cell.
- It belonged to the Thiomargarita family, a bacterial genus known to use sulphides to grow.
Source: SarkariPariksha