How Small Can Life Get? These Ultra-Small Bacteria May Be At The Limit
By News Staff | February 27th 2015 02:35 PM
There is microbiology and then there is micro-micro-microbiology.
The existence of ultra-small bacteria has been debated for decades, but now there is comprehensive electron microscopy and DNA-based evidence of the elusive microbes that are about as small as life can get.
The cells have an average volume of 0.009 cubic microns (a micron is one millionth of a meter). About 150 of these bacteria could fit inside an Escherichia coli cell and more than 150,000 cells could fit onto the tip of a human hair.
https://www.science20.com/news_articles/how_small_can_life_get_these_ultrasmall_bacteria_may_be_at_the_limit-153577
