• Question: what is the smallest cell in this world.

    Asked by Grace to RobB, Matt on 13 Jun 2016.
    • Photo: Rob Brass

      Rob Brass answered on 13 Jun 2016:

      This isnt really my area so I googled this! ha

      Apparently it’s a cell called Mycoplasma Gallicepticum, it’s a type of bacteria that lives in the waste disposal organs (bladder, bowel, etc.) of humans and monkeys. Matt might be able to tell you more on this!

    • Photo: Matt Dunn

      Matt Dunn answered on 13 Jun 2016:

      Hi Grace,

      Cells come in all shapes and sizes, from the large (a egg yolk is technically one enormous cell) to the extremely small.

      The brain cells I work with are around ten micrometres in diameter, which means it would take 100 of them side by side to cover 1 mm on a ruler! But there are some cells that live INSIDE other cells, and they are so small you can’t even see them with a microscope. These are called mycoplasma, and they are something terrifying for a cell biologist! They could be living inside any cell you grow and you can only detect them using electron microscopes or special chemical kits.

      While the normal cells are 10 um, the mycoplasma is around 100 nm, which is a HUNDRED times smaller than my brain cells!

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