Matters Microbial #103: Giant Bacteria and Bigger Questions August 14, 2025

Today, Dr. Jean-Marie Volland, Assistant Professor at the University of California in Santa Barbara joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the discovery and analysis of the (so far) largest bacterium known:  Thiomargarita magnifica, which can be a centimeter long! Definitely #OMG and #WTM!

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Jean-Marie Vollard

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Links for this episode

• Here is a review article discussing the environmental persistence of antibiotic resistance genes.
• Here is a link to Episode 41 of this podcast, with Dr. Esther Angert, on the wily ways of Epulopiscium.
• A review article regarding “giant bacteria.”
• A video explaining the surface area versus volume issue discussed on this podcast.
• An interesting article exploring how much “territory” is within a bacterial cell; this is relevant to bacterial polyploidy.
• A review of Epulopiscium, the first of the giant bacteria described.
• Here is a video of Epulopisicum.  
• An article describing polyploidy in Epulopiscium. 
• A review of Thiomargarita nambiensis, another giant bacterium with an interesting strategy.
• Here is a video of T. nambiensis. 
• An essay from “Small Things Considered” about the very, very strange world of Achromatium, which is so worth your time.
• The first report of Thiomargarita magnifica, the world’s largest bacterium (thus far) by Dr. Volland and coauthors.
• Here is a report on this discovery for novice micronauts.
• A great review about giant microbes by Dr. Volland.
• A more recent article on T. magnifica by Dr. Volland and colleagues.
• A video regarding T. magnifica.
• A video by Dr. Volland describing T. magnifica work.
• A lovely essay regarding how Dr. Volland and family trekked California searching for giant microbes. Don’t miss!
• The research lab website for Dr. Volland and colleagues, with so much interesting information.
• The faculty website for Dr. Volland at UC Santa Barbara.

Intro music is by Reber Clark