Mini Microbes

ComaVN writes "According to an article in Nature, a group at the University of Regensburg, Germany has found the smallest lifeform ever. It lives under extremely hostile (to us that is) conditions, in boiling water, and it has a genome of only about half a million DNA letters. Of course, smallest lifeform depends heavily on your definition of life, as most virii are actually smaller. But let's not get into that discussion :p"

Comments

Obligatory spelling flame

[Fluffy the Cat]

It's viruses, not virii. http://language.perl.com/misc/virus.html has a good overview of this argument, or check any dictionary or biology text.

Re:Obligatory spelling flame

[cabalamat2]

It's viruses, not virii.

Indeed it is. People who say "virii" are scum and should be punished by being forced to use inferior software such as MicroShit Windows. With IE kept in, of course.

Re:Obligatory spelling flame

[Anonymous Coward]

Sure, but so many 'scums' are writing virii nowadays that it might make it into a dictionary eventually. What are you gonna say when it happens? "oh well". And the scums? "Told you so!". You might as well switch camps now.

Re:Obligatory spelling flame

[Anonymous Coward]

DOWN with the spelling NAZIs!

nanobes

[QuantumG]

still smaller, and not parasitic either.

Who'd have guessed that the...

[SIGFPE]

...smallest organisms known are bright red. Amazing!

Re:Who'd have guessed that the...

[skilef]

It's called Cy3-labeling..

Cliche`

[anti-snot]

The question is, of course, what kinds of sports cars do these teeny-weenies drive? This sort of discovery is just what we need in order to advance the art of italian roadster design boldly into the 21st century (at long last).

Info on the phylum

[jsimon12]

Found this in google cache. Seems the orginal is inaccessible, anyone have any other info? Intresting to see that some species can survive an hour of autoclaving??!?! And can alter live off a bunch of differnt substances.

Jonathan Swift was right!

[Telecommando]

"So, naturalists observe, a flea
Has smaller fleas that on him prey;
And these have smaller still to bite 'em;
And so proceed ad infinitum."

Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)

I believe at the time he was rhapsodising on the invention of the microscope.

The "Martian microbe" should be looked at again

[dolphin558]

A primary argument against the Martian microbe being a lifeform was that it was far smaller than any known microbes here on Earth. Now that what looks to be an EVEN SMALLER microbe has been found the spotlight should be turned back onto the 1996 landmark 'discovery' on the Martian meteorite.

http://www.microbe.org/news/mars_rock.asp (Martian microbe)

Re:Small

[Anonymous Coward]

Taco, I want you to fuck me in the ass please. I am dying to be anally accosted. I want to be ravaged like hog. I want you to dress like a farmer and make me oink like a pig. I want an ass reaming like no other. Taco, I haven't had this kind of lust for you since the crazy college days. We used to butt fuck each other in the stalls. You always told me not to flush and preferred using my feces as apposed to real lubricant. I remember your chocolaty member, your manhood, draped in my feces. Man, Robbie, I remember. I was day dreaming, escaping into a nether world where we used to fornicate, and live in fornicatory bliss. You used to like to keep your tubes socks on to enhance they gay look. We were so flitty and light on out feet. I am so very confused these days. I have difficulty conceptualizing the time that was then in contrast to now. I mean, first you were a raging homosexual, now you deprecate me in favor of this "woman." I know that bitch is a transvestite. You are closeting your homosexuality and deny

I am destabilizing. The world is going dark to me. I have scintillating threads of motley thoughts, my ability to control my self evanesces away! I have only an adamantine desire to see your balloon knot once again, and to have you ravage mine! I see a world of GOATS. A goat fucking extravaganza. I invoke the ANUS of DOOM! I hate Taco.

SON of the GOAT, HUGE ASS WIDENER, This is a massive, massive ass attack from the Minister of Goat, Ayatollah man-meat.
Dilated Meat Pie. Most suppressed people really like seeing this. It gives them new masturbatory fodder.
Two cucumbers, better than one. This is to show that the giver is really smaller than what is needed to fill GOATSE man. He east Cheerioatse brand O's
A Disney product right where it belongs. Up a goat's ass. Death to Mike Eisner, the butt buddy of Commander Tak0.
Raw and dilated man-pussy. Put back the trouser snake, Tako. You dick is way too small for this man's ass.
A Prolapsed rectum is sure to whet even the most jaded flaming fuck's appetite. Tak0, your penis is regrettably way too small, even for your "Fiancée's" unfettered anus. She doesn't want to dirty her ass with the likes of your pathetic member.
GOAT KORAN
Classic HIT ME IN THE SHITTER BABY, UNGH HUH
Classic Oh yeah, in the shitter some more, in the shitter.
Classic More ass stretching goodness.
Female Goater My pussy is too small for this APPLE.
Goatse Grandpas - GRANPA GOAT S3X0R5
Son of a Goat - Holy fucking son of a goat. Kind of looks like Tako from behind, but to be sure I'd have to ask CowGryl Kneel
1 Oh, pardon me sir, would you happen to have any ANAL LUBE?
2 UNGH FART, pssssbt, ungh, tweeep, squeaaaaaak ungh
3 PFFFFFFFFFFT AHH pffft
4 FOOOOOOOOOOOOF blud dribble dribble
Prime Number Shitting Goatse Man See The Prime numbers flow like the river SHIT
Goatse Returns! Fuck yeah, the goat man is a coming back to Trollaxor
I summon the powers of HUGE GAPING ASS!

1 You Will Love to Goatse on all the things of Internet.
2 Will Search and initiate to new members, and you will show the way to the light (www.goatse.es.org)
3 When they return of to see our God Goatse, you mock of them.
4 To fuck, to fuck that are shocked the planets!

* g o a t s e x * g o a t s e x * g o a t s e x *
gcccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc cg
oc/ccccc\ccccccccccccc\cccccccccccc/cccc\ccccc cco
a|ccccccc|ccccccccccccc\cccccccccc|cccccc|ccc ccca
t|ccccccc`.ccccccccccccc|ccccccccc|ccccccc:c cccct
s`cccccccc|ccccccccccccc|cccccccc\|ccccccc| cccccs
ec\ccccccc|c/ccccccc/cc\\\ccc--__c\\cccccc c:cccce
xcc\cccccc\/ccc_--~~cccccccccc~--__|c\ccc cc|ccccx
*ccc\cccccc\_-~cccccccccccccccccccc~-_\c ccc|cccc*
gcccc\_ccccc\cccccccc_.--------.______\ |ccc|ccccg
occcccc\ccccc\______//c_c___c_c(_(__>c c\ccc|ccc c
accccccc\ccc.ccCc___)cc______c(_(____>cc|cc/ccc c
tccccccc/\c|cccCc____)/cccccc\c(_____>cc|_/cccc c
scccccc/c/\|cccC_____)c_Taco_|cc(___>ccc/cc\ccc c
eccccc|ccc(ccc_C_____)\_ccccc/cc//c_/c/ccccc\cc ce
xccccc|cccc\cc|__ccc\\_________//c(__/ccccccc| ccx
*cccc|c\cccc\____)ccc`----ccc--'ccccccccccccc |cc*
gcccc|cc\_cccccccccc___\ccccccc/_cccccccccc_ /c|cg
occc|cccccccccccccc/cccc|ccccc|cc\ccccccccc ccc|co
accc|ccccccccccccc|cccc/ccccccc\cc\ccccccc cccc|ca
tccc|cccccccccc/c/cccc|ccccccccc|cc\ccccc cccccc|t
sccc|ccccccccc/c/cccccc\__/\___/cccc|ccc ccccccc|s
ecc|ccccccccccc/cccccccc|cccc|ccccccc|c cccccccc|e
xcc|cccccccccc|ccccccccc|cccc|ccccccc| ccccccccc|x
* g o a t s e x * g o a t s e x * g o a t s e x *

Cookies (OT)

[Boronx]

Jesus, that article in Nature tried to store 30-40 cookies.

Actually, I thought it was some...

[SIGFPE]

...digital enhancement done to an electron micrograph - but it sounds like you know better than me!