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Nanostructures and Nanobacteria

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Nanomicrobiology

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Abstract

Nanobacteria (also spelled nannobacteria) are small ovoid or spherical structures ranging from 50 to 200 nm in size that have been observed by electron microscopy in association with clays and carbonate minerals as well as medically important urinary calculi and arterial plaque. In at least one study, nano-sized structures within a meteorite were presented as potential evidence of extraterrestrial life. Three major hypotheses have been developed to explain nanobacteria: (1) they represent an artifact of specimen preparation for microscopy, (2) they represent independent or previously unrecognized life forms, and (3) they represent nano-sized structures (nanostructures) arising from conventional microorganisms such as bacteria and archaea. In this chapter, we discuss experimental evidence that addresses these three hypotheses, propose studies that investigate the contribution of nanostructures (nanobacteria) to mineral formation, and suggest a possible contribution of nanostructures to chemical evolution.

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Acknowledgments

We deeply appreciate the friendship and boundless scientific enthusiasm of Robert L Folk, who stimulated many thought-provoking discussions, and exciting work. We also acknowledge the tremendous contribution of the late F. Leo Lynch to this field and to this chapter. Some of the authors’ work described in this chapter was made possible by funding by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (BLK, RJCM) and the National Science Foundation (EAR-9803031; BLK).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, 78666, San Marcos, TX, USA

    Robert J. C. McLean

  2. Department of Geosciences, Mississippi State University, PO Box 5448, 39762-5448, Mississippi State, MS, USA

    Brenda L. Kirkland

Authors
  1. Robert J. C. McLean
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  2. Brenda L. Kirkland
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Correspondence to Robert J. C. McLean .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

    Larry L. Barton

  2. School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

    Dennis A. Bazylinski

  3. Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

    Huifang Xu

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McLean, R., Kirkland, B. (2014). Nanostructures and Nanobacteria. In: Barton, L., Bazylinski, D., Xu, H. (eds) Nanomicrobiology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1667-2_1

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