Magnetotactic bacteria are oddities with organelles that contain magnetic minerals that allow them to orient themselves along the magnetic field of the earth.
Here at University of Nevada Las Vegas, Dr. Bazylinski is working to learn more about how... and why... these bugs precipitate magnetic material. Scientists believe this magnetic capability helps orient bacteria towards a region called the oxic-anoxic transition zone (a region within water between an area of high and low oxygen concentration). This is believed to be an optimal place for them to find food. But what?!?! Of all the things that microbes can do, I think this is one of the strangest (and coolest).
Watching magnetotactic bacteria gravitate towards a magnet through a microscope is one of the most amazing things... here is a video from Chris of Dr. Bazylinski's lab that shows cells gravitating, in culture, towards/away from a magnet. And is there anything cuter than a miniature magnet?
