| The discovery of novel, living
nano-organisms growing on Triassic and Jurassic sandstones opened up an
exciting area of research in 1997.
 The
existence of nano-sized organisms has been proposed for a number of years
by geologists who refer to a range of mineralised structures in rocks
as the fossil remnants of nanobacteria. Bacteria range in size from 150nm
(Mycoplasmas)-50µm in diameter while the proposed nanobacteria are
an order of magnitude smaller with diameters reported to range from 20nm-150nm.
Further interest in nanobacteria was fuelled by the discovery
of similar nano-sized structures in the Martian meteorite ALH84001 in
1996. However, whilst the existence of nanobacteria has attracted interested
discussion they have also been the subject of considerable scientific
criticism in recent years. Much of the current criticism over the existence
of nanobacteria is that it has not been proven that they were ever living
biological organisms which fulfilled the requirements to live namely the
ability to metabolise and reproduce. The second argument against their
existence is that nanobacteria are too small to harbour the enzymatic
and genetic material considered essential for life.
Until now living organisms in the size range of nanobacteria
had not been found. The discovery of actively growing organic features
in the same size range of the fossilised nanobacteria of others at the
CMM represents the first evidence that novel organisms with these small
dimensions do exist on earth. We refer to the nano-organisms identified
on the sandstone samples as nanobes because their phylogeny has still
to be established.
 Nanobes
have cellular structures similar to Actinomycetes and fungi (spores, hyphae
and fruiting bodies) with the exception that they are up to 10 times smaller
in diameter (25nm-1.0µm). They have hollow, membrane bound structures
that are most likely composed of C, O and N. Whilst morphologically distinct,
nanobes are in the same size range as the controversial nanobacteria described
by others in a variety of different rock types and in the Martian meteorite
ALH84001. Current and future research will focus on the establishment
of axenic cultures for analysis of growth rates and for determining the
nature of their genetic material.
Comments and Press:
"Ten times smaller than any living creature... with
a bizarre appetite for plastic and with relatives that may have come from
Mars... Nanobes are very strange creatures indeed. A young Australian
geologist has possibly made one of the most significant biological discoveries
of the last 100 years." [source: http://abc.net.au/alienunderworld]
"Measuring as little as 20 nanometres - or 20 millionths
of a millimetre - the so-called "nanobes" are not only smaller
than any other life forms previously observed, but they are also smaller
than thought possible under current biological theory."
[source: http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s20156.htm]
Official Research Web Site
http://www.uq.edu.au/nanoworld/uwins.html
Read
the entire scientific paper
http://www.uq.edu.au/nanoworld/documents/Nanobes.pdf
Useful Links:
From ABC
"Measuring as little as 20 nanometres - or 20 millionths of a millimetre
- the so-called "nanobes" are not only smaller than any other
life forms previously observed, but they are also smaller than thought
possible under current biological theory." http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s20156.htm
 "Ten
times smaller than any living creature... with a bizarre appetite for
plastic and with relatives that may have come from Mars...
Nanobes are very strange creatures indeed. A young Australian geologist
has possibly made one of the most significant biological
discoveries of the last 100 years." http://abc.net.au/alienunderworld/
http://abc.net.au/alienunderworld/ - ABC on Nanobes
http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/nanobes/ - Nanobes
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s20156.htm - Nanobes
Other Related:
Transpermia - Exchange of Surface Material Among
the Planets
http://www1.tpgi.com.au/users/tps-seti/swaprock.html
Is this a sign of life on Mars?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,3840997,00.html
Small is beautiful as nanobes reveal we are not alone
Physicist Paul Davies asks if tiny 'microbe' is missing link between life
and non-life. http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,3840998,00.html
Important: Permission to use nanobe
images should be gained by visiting the Discovery Team's Web Site based
at The Queensland University in Australia. http://www.uq.edu.au/nanoworld/uwins.html
Dejan Petrovic
Questions? Comments?
Let us know on the Forums
Colour-rendered magnification of Nanobes.
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