1. Why the world needs bacteria
What is a bacterium? Bacteria belong to a universe of single-celled creatures too small, with rare exceptions, to be seen by the unaided eye, but exist everywhere on Earth. Being small, simple, and many confers on bacteria advantages that allow them to not only survive but also to affect every mechanism by which the planet works. Bacteria influence chemical reactions from miles above the Earth’s surface to activities deep within the Earth’s mantle.
Bacteria range in size from Thiomargarita namibiensis, which reaches 750 micrometers (μm) end to end and is visible to the naked eye, to Francisella tularensis measuring only 0.2 μm in diameter. Since 1988, microbiologists have explored a new area involving “nanobacteria.” ...
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