1Poop pills
Scientists have invented ‘poop pills’, which are capsules that contain only bacteria from donors' poo which are used to treat gut infections. They have no scent, taste and are as effective as traditional fecal transplants while being much cheaper.
2Bathroom hand dryers
Bathroom hand dryers suck fecal bacteria from the room and spray it directly on your hands.
3Mitochondria
The mitochondria in our cells, which generate energy, are ancient bacteria that had a symbiotic relationship with other single-cell organisms and developed around 1.5 billion years ago.
4Lake Superior
Bacteria will feed on a decaying body underwater and create gas, which causes the body to float to the surface. However, Lake Superior's cold temperatures inhibit bacterial growth and the bodies tend to sink and never resurface.
5Clostridia
Researchers have identified a naturally occurring bacteria named Clostridia in the human gut that keeps people from developing food allergies. This beneficial gut bacteria diminished with frequent antibiotic use at a young age — making children more susceptible to food allergies later in life.
6Bacteria
Researchers have discovered bacteria that have naturally evolved to eat away at polyethylene terephthalate, the plastic known as PET or polyester. While studying the structure of an enzyme found in that bacteria, they accidentally created a “mutant enzyme” that can break down plastic within a few days.
7Keyboard Bugs
A microbiologist examined samples from 33 keyboards and found a variety of bugs including E coli and S aureus, which can cause skin infections and make people ill. One of the keyboards had to be removed from the office because it was five times dirtier than a toilet.
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8Conan the Bacterium
There is a species of bacteria named Deinococcus radiodurans which is so resistant to radiation that scientists have nicknamed it “Conan the Bacterium.”
9Tersicoccus phoenicis
There is a bacteria named Tersicoccus phoenicis that can survive with almost no nutrients in a spacecraft assembly clean room and is resistant against the sterilization measures used there.
10Paracoccus denitrificans
A bacteria named Paracoccus denitrificans not only survived in an ultracentrifuge with high speeds corresponding to 403,627 g, but actually had robust cellular growth. Hyperaccelerations like this are found in very massive stars and the shockwaves of supernovas.
