Fun Facts

Researchers have revived a 250 million year old bacterium, Bacillus permians, that was discovered in salt crystals.

Soap and water are more effective at killing germs than antibacterial hand sanitizers.

The soft plastic headphones used on airplanes create a warm, moist environment in the ear canal that is ideal for breeding bacteria. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.

Nearly a third of all bottled drinking water purchased in the US is contaminated with bacteria.

Bacteria adapt properties allowing them to present a wide array of coloring.

You are more likely to be struck by lightning that to be eaten by a shark. You are more likely to be infected by flesh-eating bacteria than you are to be struck by lightning.

Diamonds are thought to be made from carbon and dead bacteria.

There are an estimated 75 to 100 trillion cells in the human body. It is believed by scientists that there are more bacteria in your body than the number of cells in your body.

Researchers have discovered that bacteria live and thrive in clouds.

Microbes from Mars may have traveled to Earth on Martian rocks that were strewn into space by meteor collisions.

Genetically altered bacteria could be used to create an environment on Mars that is similar to earth’s environment.

A species of bacteria, Wolbachia, has been known to change a sow bug (aka, pill bug, rolly polly) from a male to a female.