We use cookies to provide you with a better onsite experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.Skip to main contentSubscribeMenuScientific AmericanEnglish Cart 0Sign In  |   Register Email:Password:Forgot password?LoginNot

Encyclopædia Britannica Subscribe Log In · Join In the News Spotlight Demystified Quizzes Galleries Lists Search Britannica What are you looking for? Search Browse popular topics: Martin Luther King, Jr. Harlem Renaissance Open Door policy Mahatma Gandhi World War II Bacteria Written By: Kara Rogers, Robe

Log In Dont have an account? Sign up here » In order to access our Web site, your Web browser must accept cookies from NYTimes.com. More information » Facebook Google or Remember Me Forgot password? Log In © 2017 The New York Times Company Help Feedback

Sections Latest Popular Search Subscribe Sign in My Account | Sign Out TNY Store An Emerging, and Very Pointed, Democratic Resistance by Benjamin Wallace-Wells “Patriots Day,” a Police Procedural for the Age of Surveillance by Richard Brody Moving Vans Arrive at White House to Remove All Traces of Competence, Dign

Introduction to the Bacteria Bacteria are often maligned as the causes of human and animal disease (like this one, Leptospira, which causes serious disease in livestock). However, certain bacteria, the actinomycetes, produce antibiotics such as streptomycin and nocardicin; others live symbiotically in the guts of anim

About MicrobiologyLoginJoinSubmit GO All Content News Video Images Resources My Collections Submissions Tags Search MicrobeWorld HomeNewsVideoImagesResources About Microbiology  What is a Microbe?Types of MicrobesArchaeaVirusesBacteriaClassifications: What Difference Does it Make?Early OriginsWhat They Look LikeW

News Tech Health Planet Earth Space Strange News Animals History Human Nature News Tech Health Planet Earth Space Strange News Animals History Human Nature News Tech Health Planet Earth Space Strange News Animals History Human Nature Live ScienceHealth Reference: What Are Bacteria? By Aparna Vidyasagar, Live Science C

Bacteria bacterium) constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganism s. Typically a few micrometre s in length, bacteria have a number of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals. Bacteria were among the first life forms to appear on Earth , and are present in most of its habitat s. Bacteria inhabit soil,