Most of us are not aware that bacteria coexist with us and do a lot of help like making vitamins, breaking down some garbage through decomposition and also maintaining our atmosphere. The only thing that enters our mind when we hear bacteria is that they are harmful to us. Unlike to this common knowledge that bacteria are dangerous, most of us benefit from bacteria. Bacteria are single celled organism, but they have a remarkable feature. Bacteria under a microscope show the fascinating features of bacteria. Bacteria can survive almost all temperature, from boiling point to below zero degrees.
Bacteria can also feed on almost everything from sugar, starch, sulfur and iron. There are also some bacteria species that can withstand 1,000 times blast of radiation that can kill human beings. Bacteria are under prokaryotes which DNA are not enclosed by nucleus. Other organisms are fall under eukaryotes because of the presence of nuclei. The bacteria under a microscope will show us the cell wall, the shape and the movements of these bacteria. By knowing more about bacteria we can figure out how they are able to help us and we can also prevent the dangerous ones to cause us harm. Most of us question the existence of these bacteria. How long have they been on earth? Scientists conduct research that proves bacteria existed before humans.
They might not be visible to the eyes but they existed. Bacteria and Archaea are the earliest inhabitants of this planet. They live for billions of years and they can survive extreme conditions. According to research bacteria play an important role in shaping the planet because they are responsible of developing photosynthesis. Bacteria like dinosaurs leave traces behind. The only difference is the size of the fossils they leave behind. Dinosaur fossils can be dug by geologists and big fossils can be found but bacteria can only be seen through a microscope.
Bacteria under a microscope can distinguish the age of the bacteria found. The existence of bacteria was discovered million of years ago but the study of them was only conducted in the early 1800’s. Cyanobacteria fossils are among the oldest bacteria that live for about 3 million years.Cyanobacteria’s photosynthesis gave way in producing algae and plants. It is believed that cyanobacteria develop in water; they can also produce more oxygen than we breathe. Bacteria are responsible for a lot of things. The cheese we eat everyday is produced by bacteria on the milk.
The beer we enjoy was also a product of bacteria. The good things that we benefit from bacteria are not as popular as the harmful effects the bacteria we all know. The disease causing bacteria that can kill us is usually the main focus. Scientists nowadays are examining more and more bacteria under a microscope to discover more benefits that we can get from bacteria. They are also discovering cure to these harmful diseases that plagues humans. Original article