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Question
Who first described "ultramicrobacteria" and where can I find the original reference?
Ultramicrobacteria or nannobacteria are incredibly small, spheroidal, or ovoid objects found in rocks and minerals that many scientists believe are fossil evidence of the most primitive life on Earth. About 1/10 the size of a normal bacterium, nannobacteria were discovered in 1990 when Bob Folk found tiny 25-200 nanometer scale ovoid-shaped objects in calcite and aragonite samples. As you probably know, the world was astounded by NASA’s apparent discovery of fossilized nannobacteria in the Martian meteorite ALH84001. For more information, see Folk’s article, "Comparison of Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Life Forms in the Nanometer Size" at: http://www.astrobiology.com/asc2000/abstract.html?ascid=191 And for additional reading on the history of nannobacteria , check out "The Skinny On Itty Bitty Life Forms:" at: http://www.discovery.com/area/skinnyon/skinnyon970312/skinny1.html
May 1, 2002
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