Factoids
Bioluminescent Bacteria
Bioluminescent bacteria emit light in a biochemical process involving oxygen, ATP and the enzyme luciferase. They are a wide variety of bioluminescent bacteria in both soil and aquatic environments. Some grow on fishes (or squids) and the latter uses the light from these bacteria to evade predators or to catch smaller prey for food. Examples of this collaboration can be found in the Hawaiian bobtail squid or the flashlight fish. The luciferase reaction has been used in applications like biosensors, cancer research and drug screening.
Bioluminescent Photobacterium sp. glowing in the dark
Magnetotactic bacteria
Magnetotactic bacteria are microbes which can make their own magnets. Their bodies contain rows or clumps of very high quality biomineralized magnets (magnetosomes). These magnets are even superior to those of man-made magnets which has more crystallographic defects. These bacteria can be found in many environments and they use their magnets to align themselves to earth's magnetic fields and swim along these magnetic highways.
Their magnetosomes are magnetically perfect, small and biocompatible; traits which make them ideal candidates for use in cancer treatment, bioelectronics, and the electronic industry in general. If only we can more easily grow them so that we can extract more of these magnetosomes!
Magnetotactic bacteria are microaerophiles and thus prefer to swim away from areas with higher oxygen tensions like the liquid-air interface line on the right hand side of this video panel. However, with the use of a magnet (out of view), we can pull them back towards this interface. They will swim away again once the magnet is taken away.