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The Learning Kingdom's Cool Fact of the Day for September 3, 1999
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What kind of bacteria give birth to live baby cells?
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Most bacteria reproduce by splitting in half, but very large bacteria
called Epulopiscium give birth to tiny "baby bacteria." The baby
bacteria are formed within the parent cell, then escape through a tiny
slit in the parent's cell wall. Each of the small bacteria is able to
grow to full size and release small babies of its own.
How did this kind of reproduction evolve? One theory is that a
bacterial ancestor created tough-shelled small spores (endospores)
designed to stay alive during hard times. When the spores began
hatching within the parent cell and the small bacteria were released,
a useful new kind of reproduction was created.
Epulopiscium are among the largest bacteria, sometimes large enough to
be seen without a microscope. They are found in the intestines of
various kinds of fishes.
Article about Epulopiscium, with interesting questions and
speculations:
http://falcon.cc.ukans.edu/~jbrown/babies.html
Epulopiscium were once thought to be the largest bacteria...
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1997/11/18.html
...but now there is a new size champion:
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1999/07/29.html
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