Think big! Bacteria breach cell division size limit

The life of a cell is straightforward: it doubles, divides in the middle and originates two identical daughter cells. Therefore, it has been long assumed that cells of the same kind are similarly sized and big cells cannot divide symmetrically. Silvia Bulgheresi's team, University of Vienna, revealed that two non-model bacteria divide regularly despite growing so long to be perceivable by the naked eye. These "The microorganisms thriving on the surface of marine tropical worms are an inexhaustible source of wonder!" exclaims the environmental microbiologist Silvia Bulgheresi. After showing in 2012 that some rod-shaped bacteria are capable of dividing lengthwise - a fascinating alternative to what we knew about cell division so far - her team has been taken again by surprise. The crescent-shaped filamentous bacteria covering the surface of the Eubostrichus fertilis worm are attached with both ends to its surface, making it look like a rope (Fig. A closer look at this peculiar arrangement reveals, that the shortest crescents are closest to the worm's surface and, like the layers of an onion, up to ten-fold longer crescents are stacked on top of them.