Bacteria (lat. According to the hierarchy, they are the simplest and inhabit the entire world around a person. Among them there are both bad and good microorganisms.
1. Traces of the most ancient microbes were found in soils that are 3.5 billion years old. But not a single scientist will say for sure when bacteria actually arose on Earth.
2. One of the most ancient bacteria - the thermoacidophila archaebacterium lives in hot springs with a high concentration of acids, but at temperatures below 55 ° С such microorganisms do not survive.
3. The bacteria were first seen in 1676 by the Dutchman Anthony van Leeuwenhoek, who created a convex bilateral lysis. And the term “bacteria” itself was introduced by Christian Ehrenberg only almost 150 years later, in 1828.
4. The largest bacterium is considered to be Thiomargarita namibiensis, or “the gray pearl of Namibia”, discovered in 1999. The size of representatives of this species is 0.75 mm in diameter, which makes it possible to see it even without a microscope.
5. The specific smell after rain is due to actinobacteria and cyanobacteria, which live on the soil surface and produce the substance geosmin.
6. The weight of bacteria colonies that live in the human body is about 2 kg.
7. In the human mouth there are about 40 thousand species of microorganisms. With a kiss, about 80 million bacteria are transmitted, but almost all of them are safe.
8. Pharyngitis, pneumonia, scarlet fever are caused by spherical bacteria streptococci, which mainly affect the human respiratory tract, nose and mouth.
9. Staphylococcus bacteria can divide in several planes. Because of this, their shape differs from other species, it resembles a bunch of grapes.
10. Meningitis and gonorrhea are caused by pathogens of the subspecies diplococci, which are usually identified in pairs.
11. Vibrio bacteria can reproduce even in an oxygen-free environment. These are the causative agents of one of the most terrible diseases - cholera.
12. Bifidobacteria known to many from advertising not only promote good digestion, but also provide the human body with vitamins of groups B and K.
13. Microbiologist Louis Pasteur once had to take part in a duel, and with his weapon he chose 2 flasks, one containing bacteria that cause smallpox. The opponents were supposed to drink liquids, but the opponent of the famous chemist refused such an experiment.
14. On the basis of bacteria such as streptomycetes, which live in the soil, antifungal, antibacterial and anticancer drugs are being developed.
15. In the structure of a bacterial cell there is no nucleus, and the gene code carries a nucleotide. The average weight of these microorganisms is 0.5-5 microns.
16. The most likely way of contamination with various bacteria is through water.
17. In nature, there is a species called Conan Bacteria. These microorganisms are resistant to radiation exposure.
18. In 2007, viable bacteria were found in the glaciers of Antarctica, which had been without sunlight and oxygen for several million years.
19. In 1 ml of water up to 1 million of the simplest bacteria, and in 1 g of soil - about 40 million.
20. The biomass of all bacteria on Earth is greater than the sum of animal and plant biomass.
21. Bacteria are used in industry in the recovery of copper ore, gold, palladium.
22. Some species of bacteria, especially those that live in symbiosis with deep-sea fish, are capable of emitting light.
23. For the study of bacteria that cause tuberculosis, and achievements in this area, Robert Koch at the beginning of the 20th century. was awarded the Nobel Prize.
24. Many bacteria move by means of flagella, the number of which can reach a million per microorganism.
25. Some bacteria change their density after being immersed in water and floating up.
26. It is thanks to such microorganisms that oxygen appeared on Earth, and due to them the level that is necessary for the life of animals and humans is still maintained.
27. The most terrible and known epidemics in human history - anthrax, plague, leprosy, syphilis, are caused precisely by bacteria. Some microorganisms may well be used as biological weapons, but this is currently prohibited by international conventions.
28. Some types of pathogenic microorganisms are still resistant to all types of known antibiotics.
29. A separate type of bacteria - saprophytes, contribute to the rapid decomposition of dead animals and people. They also make the soil more fertile.
30. In the course of research carried out by scientists from South Korea, it was found that the largest number of bacteria are found on the handles of shopping carts in supermarkets. The second place is taken by a computer mouse, followed by pens in public toilets.
