It is hard to believe that something so small could have such a huge impact on scientific research.
The nanobacteria that Mississippi State University geologists Leo Lynch and Brenda Kirkland are studying is about 1/10,000 the size of the period at the end of this sentence.
Despite its menial size, the bacteria, which are also called nanobes and nano-organisms, may have profound contribution to many areas of study.
Lynch said that nanobacteria’s implication “may be as wide-ranging as oil and heart arterial blockage.”
The husband and wife research team said they have been searching for the microscopic bacteria.
“We find them in all sorts of strange environments,” claymineralogist Lynch said.
However, he and his wife have two very different emphases of study. Lynch has been working with MSU microbiologist Lewis Brown to determine if bacteria can help extract more oil from oil reservoirs.
His wife, Kirkland, is studying the bacteria’s relationship to arterial clarification and heart disease.
Both research projects hope to produce maximum benefits for society with the study of this minimal-sized bacteria.
Mark Binkley head of the department of geosciences, said that the department has contributed three main things to the research projects: “When we moved back into Hilbun Hall, we dedicated a lab specifically for their research, purchased at least six microscopes for use in this area and assisted both of them with graduate assistants for help in their research.”
According to Kirkland, one of the most important tools for their research is the Scanning Electron Microscope. The SEM is a $500,000 microscope that magnifies objects 70,000 to 100,000 times. This high magnification allows the nanobacteria to be seen and photographed.
“It takes months of practice to really master using the SEM,” Kirkland said.
Robert L. Folk, professor emeritus in geology at the University of Texas at Austin, first discovered the nanobacteria in 1989 with the use of an SEM. He was studying hot spring carbonates when he discovered the 25-200 nm scale spherical and ovoid objects.
Folk said the nano-organisms “were discovered through dumb luck and pure accident, as is the case with most really new discoveries.”
After a year of studying the microscopic organisms, Folk said he decided they were small bacteria.
Kirkland and Lynch name Folk as their scientific mentor. They even met as research colleagues under Folk at the University of Texas at Austin.
“Folk is a brilliant guy and an excellent observer,” said Kirkland. “He kept looking closer and he saw things he didn’t understand.”
Nanobacteria is still being debated. Some scientists question if the particles are large enough to be classified as bacteria. Others claim the particles are indeed bacteria, making it the most primitive and earliest life on Earth.
Lynch believes that while the nanobacteria might be the most primitive life, it is still too early to tell.
“That’s why we need more research,” Kirkland added.
Nanobacteria is also being studied for its possible link with human diseases. It has been suggested that the nanobes may be involved in the development of Alzheimer’s, Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, kuru and Kreutzfeld-Jacob’s.