Читать книгу Modern Epidemics - Salvador Macip - Страница 14

Bacteria could also survive in outer space. Some very tiny species have been found (among them Herminiimonas glaciei, which was discovered in 2009). They can endure for more than 120,000 years under layers of ice three kilometres thick, practically without oxygen and nutrients. These conditions are very similar to those that might be found outside our planet.

We should be grateful for other things, too. Bacteria are also our ancestors. As I said, life on Earth was at first limited to minuscule single cell organisms. They gradually began to come together in groups of cells that, acting in concert, went on to specialize in different functions, now in the form of what are known as multicellular organisms. This is the path that led to the fabulous biological diversity we have today. As proof of our humble origins, there are still structures in human cells that come directly from those original bacteria. And they are essential for human life.