Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Cells, Microbes & Viruses => Topic started by: thedoc on 08/03/2016 12:50:01

Title: What is the smallest bacteria?
Post by: thedoc on 08/03/2016 12:50:01

Staffan Lincoln asked the Naked Scientists:
   What's the smallest bacteria ever found? How small and simple can you make a bacteria?
What do you think?

Title: Re: What is the smallest bacteria?
Post by: JoeBrown on 08/03/2016 14:19:11

Bacteria are single celled organisms.  They come in many different shapes and sizes.

Doubt anyone could answer the question posed.  Your quest might be more fruitful if the scope pertained to a class of bacteria.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteria

Title: Re: What is the smallest bacteria?
Post by: RD on 08/03/2016 15:36:55

Quote from: thedoc on 08/03/2016 12:50:01

... How small and simple can you make a bacteria?

They couldn't be smaller than the DNA required to code for their construction.
Apparently the lower limit is ~200nm across ...
http://newscenter.lbl.gov/2015/02/27/ultra-small-bacteria/
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2015/150227/ncomms7372/full/ncomms7372.html