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Scientists have discovered the world's largest known bacteria, reaching up to one centimetre (0.4-inches) in length. The species, called Thiomargarita magnifica, was discovered on sunken leaves in the waters of a mangrove swamp in Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. It appears as thin white filaments like vermicelli pasta, and contains microscopic sulphur granules that scatter light, giving it a pearly gleam. T. magnifica is a sulphur-oxidising prokaryote, meaning it derives energy from the oxidation of sulphur compounds. Large sulphur bacteria have been shown to be hot spots for symbionts – an organism living in symbiosis with another. Another species...

> Co-worker Charlie Schmuck says “The lake is behind our office. Tracy was walking by the lake, saw the object, and asked everyone else to come out and take a look.” Tracy thought it was “a huge dead snake.” Charlie thought it “looked like some weird underwater fungus, like the ones that explode when you poke them.” > The scientists at VIMS were equally intrigued. The e-mail read “The object is about 4 feet in diameter. It has moved about 6 feet down the shoreline in the last 24 hours. It 'jiggles' when the waves in the lake hit it…...