Nanobacteria are microbes 10 times smaller than typical bacteria, with disputed claims of their existence since 1990. They have been found in minerals, blood, and even a Martian meteorite, and are believed to contribute to calcification in arteries. Studies have been challenging due to their small size, and it is unclear whether they are living organisms or inorganic structures.
Nanobacteria, also known as nannobacteria, are microbes about 25-200 nanometers in size, about 10 times smaller than what is generally considered extremely small bacteria. Nanobacteria are controversial because claims of their existence only recently emerged – 1990 – and they are smaller than what is generally considered the lower size limit for a living cell (200 nm). They have alternatively been described as outgrowths of inanimate crystals and the most abundant form of life on Earth.
The first nanobacteria were discovered in minerals by Bob Folk, who, in a high-magnification SEM study of hot spring carbonates, found tiny 25-200 nm scale spheroidal and oval objects in calcite and aragonite. Because they looked similar in shape to larger, but much smaller, bacteria, Folk called them nanobacteria. Since then, there have been claims of discoveries in a variety of minerals, human and animal blood, and even the Martian meteorite ALH84001, discovered in 1996 in Antarctica.
While the existence of nanobacteria has been disputed by the geological and microbiological communities, many established researchers have published papers on nanobacteria and their purported effects. One such effect is presumably the calcification of the blood in our arteries. A fossil of a nanobacterium has been called a nanofossil.
Studies on nanobacteria have been challenging. Because they are so small, it has been difficult to extract genetic material from these entities, meaning there is still no conclusive proof that they are life forms. It has also been argued that so-called nanobacteria resemble the inanimate structures known to form when calcium and phosphate salts are combined with organic material.
In 1998, Finnish scientists reported isolating RNA from a sample of nanobacteria, but this study proved flawed when the National Institute of Health discovered that the RNA was derived from a microbe known to contaminate laboratory equipment. laboratory. To further complicate matters, it has been claimed that not all of the Finnish results have been invalidated, leaving room for further research and testing. Also in 1998, nanobacteria were blamed for contributing to certain diseases when they were observed creating shells of calcium phosphate around themselves.
Living organism or growths of inorganic crystals? The real answer is not yet clear. Whatever they are, they’re damned small.
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