Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Mini Microbes

Posted by michael on from the guinness-book dept.

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"

11 of 17 comments (clear)

  1. Obligatory spelling flame by Fluffy+the+Cat · · Score: 2, Informative

    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.

    1. Re:Obligatory spelling flame by cabalamat2 · · Score: 2

      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.

  2. nanobes by QuantumG · · Score: 3, Interesting

    still smaller, and not parasitic either.

    --
    How we know is more important than what we know.
  3. Who'd have guessed that the... by SIGFPE · · Score: 2

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

    --
    -- SIGFPE
    1. Re:Who'd have guessed that the... by skilef · · Score: 1

      It's called Cy3-labeling..

      --

      You do not exist. Go away.
  4. Cliche` by anti-snot · · Score: 1

    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).

  5. Info on the phylum by jsimon12 · · Score: 1

    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.

  6. Jonathan Swift was right! by Telecommando · · Score: 1

    "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.

    --
    Beta sux! Join the Slashcott! http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=4760465&cid=46173047
  7. The "Martian microbe" should be looked at again by dolphin558 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    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)

  8. Cookies (OT) by Boronx · · Score: 1

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

    --
    Play Command HQ online
  9. Actually, I thought it was some... by SIGFPE · · Score: 2

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

    --
    -- SIGFPE