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Nannobacteria: Minerals or Microbes

Dateline: 03/27/00

By Alan Bruzel

Nannobacteria and Nanobacteria

There are nannobacteria and there are nanobacteria. Nannobacteria, named by geologists, are viewed by some as the organisms responsible for mineral precipitation in terrestrial (and possibly extraterrestrial) rocks. Nanobacteria, named by biologists, are considered – again by some – as the responsible agents for biomineralization, as, for example, in kidney stones. If they are alive – a point still hotly debated – then both nannobacteria and nanobacteria are dreadfully small creatures: about one-tenth the diameter of an average bacterial cell. The smallest independently living cells acknowledged by most scientists are the mycoplasma, ranging from 100 to 200 nanometers in diameter. By contrast, nannobacteria range from 50 to 200 nanometers, and nanobacteria from 50 to 500 nanometers. Some estimates push the lower limits of nannobacteria down to 20 nanometers.

Nannobacteria: Evidence and Skepticism

The powerful magnification of the electron microscope routinely finds small spherical and rod-like shapes during examination of sedimentary minerals. Nannobacteria proponents postulate that these mineralized structures (and, most intriguingly, those similarly-shaped bodies found in martian meteorite ALH84001) are fossilized remains of nannobacteria. Opponents argue that the exceedingly small volume that nannobacteria possess could not accommodate genetic machinery, enzymes and protein synthesizing ribosomes. (One ribosome is about 25 nanometers in diameter). Also, nannobacteria-like structures can be produced in the laboratory through carefully controlled precipitation of minerals. There is still a key question demanding an answer: Are the characteristic features of nannobacterial microfossils – and, are nannobacteria, themselves – derived biologically, or do they arise by purely non-biological, inorganic processes?

What the Web Has to Say about:
Nannobacteria: Minerals or Microbes

Bacteria in the Stone
Science News Online article by John Travis discusses nanobacteria and kidney stones.

Bugs In The Data?
Controversy surrounding martian meteorite nannobacteria. Scientific American article by W. Wayt Gibbs and Corey S. Powell.

Itty Bitty Life Forms
Discovery.com article by Hannah Holmes explores nannobacteria.

Life on Mars? Clues From a Special Martian Meteorite
Chris Romanek, University of Georgia, presents a view of the origins of nannobacteria.

Mars Meteorite Fuels Debate on Life on Earth
Were nannobacteria present on Mars? Reprint of New York Times article by Nicholas Wade.

Martian Life - The Pros and Cons
Examination of putative life forms in martian meteorite ALH84001. Reprint of Meteorite! article by Joel L. Schiff.

Nannobacteria: Size Limits and Evidence
Frank Volke, University of Leipzig, argues that cells with 20 percent water content, not the customary 70 percent, can maintain life processes.

Nannobacteria: Surely Not Figments, But What Under Heaven Are They?
naturalSCIENCE article by Robert L. Folk, pioneer of nannobacteria concept.

Proving Origin of Martian Meteorites
An article from this Web site describing identification of meteorites by chemical analyses.

Recent Scientific Papers on ALH84001 Explained
Allan Treiman, Lunar and Planetary Institute, critiques and summarizes scientific analyses of martian meteorite ALH84001. Also, see his More Recent Research on ALH84001 and Technical Discussions on ALH84001.

Robert L. Folk
University of Texas at Austin researcher investigates role of nannobacteria in the geology of sedimentary minerals.

Search for Past Life on Mars: Possible Relic Biogenic Activity in Martian Meteorite ALH84001
D. S. McKay and others present geological evidence for the feasibility of ancient life on Mars.

Size Limits of Very Small Microorganisms
US National Academy of Sciences study from James P. Ferris, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, postulates RNA-based life may attain the smallness of size required by nannobacteria.

Small Spherical Object of Desire
Preparing objects similar to nannobacteria by crystallization of inorganic compounds. Nature Science Update article by Sara Abdulla.

Ultrasmall Bacteria: The Cause of Kidney Stones?
Do nanobacteria exist and do they act as centers for crystallization? From the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

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