ALL ABOUT BACTERIA

Bacteria are single cell organisms that can reproduce at a really fast speed. So while you took your shower today, another bacteria in your home grew, wow, that's really quick right?

Bacteria are only a few micrometres in length. That means if you get your school ruler out, you can put it away again because you wont' even be able to measure that. A micrometre is a thousandth of a millimetre. That's why its only possible to see bacteria with the help of a microscope.   To give you some idea of how teeny weeny they are, if you picked up a handful of soil from your back garden, there would be many many millions of bacteria in that one handful!

Scientists think that bacteria were on our planet even before humans so they are really really old.  Yes older than grandma and the dinosaurs! 

Bacteria live almost everywhere on the planet, in our bodies, in our food, in plants and animals and even in places where humans can't like deep in the earth's crust.

If you are really interested in learning about bacteria more, visit out MEET THE GERMS page and you will be able so see lots of examples of those clever, tough little cells in bigger form. Like Andrewbacteria, you can work hard at school and one day follow in his footsteps towards becoming a bacteriologist – thats a scientist who studies all about bacteria every day. Gosh imagine all day you get to look at weird and interesting stuff under a microscope, that sounds like a really cool job.