NEW RESEARCH RESHAPES LONG-HELD THEORIES ON BACTERIAL EVOLUTION

A new research has revealed that the shape of bacteria does not have any bearing on their motility. This has shattered all those previous beliefs that a strong interconnection exists between the evolution of shape in bacteria and their motility. The Ecology & Evolution journal published the results of this extensive study carried out at the University Of Lincoln, UK by Dr. Fouad El Baidouri and Prof. Stuart Humphries of the School of Life Sciences, along with Dr. Chris Venditti of the University of Reading.

The study was carried out on 325 different species of Firmicutes bacteria to analyze how the shapes of single celled organisms like bacteria affect their pathogenicity (ability to give rise to disease), lifestyle and mobility. The study concluded that none of these factors are affected by the shape of the bacteria. This finding has distinguished bacteria from its larger counterparts like seals, fishes and whales for which shape has a significant bearing on their ability to swim efficiently.

This discovery emphasizes the abnormal nature of the bacterial environment. This eye-opener finding can have major implications on the medical and scientific industries.