Editing Thiomargarita namibiensis (section)

== Discovery ==
The species ''Thiomargarita namibiensis'' was collected in 1997 and discovered in 1999 by Heide N. Schulz and her colleagues from the [[Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology]].<ref name=Wuethrich1999/> It was discovered in coastal sediments on the Namibian coast of West Africa. Schulz and her colleagues were off the coast of Namibia in search of ''[[Beggiatoa]]'' and ''[[Thioploca]]'', two microbes which had previously been discovered off the South American Pacific coast in 1842 and 1906, respectively. They chose to conduct further research off the Namibian coast due to the similar [[hydrography]] of these coasts; both have strong and deep ocean currents which can stir-up various nutrients for the deep sea organisms to feast.<ref name=":3">{{cite press release |title=Biggest Bacteria Ever Found -- May Play Underrated Role In The Environment |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/04/990416081113.htm |work=ScienceDaily |publisher=American Association For The Advancement Of Science |date=16 April 1999 }}</ref> Schulz's team found small quantities of ''Beggiatoa'' and ''Thioploca'' in sediment samples, but large quantities of the previously undiscovered ''Thiomargarita namibiensis''.<ref name=Amos2022>{{cite news |last1=Amos |first1=Jonathan |title=Record bacterium discovered as long as human eyelash |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-61911817 |work=BBC News |date=23 June 2022 }}</ref><ref name="Max Planck 1999 The largest Bacterium"/> Researchers suggested the species be named ''Thiomargarita namibiensis'', which means "sulfur pearl of Namibia", which was fitting as the bacteria appeared a blue-green, white color, as well as spheres strung together.<ref name="WHOI 1999 Giant Sulfur Bacteria Discovered"/><ref name=":3" /> The previously largest known bacterium was ''[[Epulopiscium fishelsoni]]'', at 0.5 mm long.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Randerson |first1=James |title=Record breaker |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg17423461-600-record-breaker/ |work=New Scientist |date=8 June 2002 }}</ref> The current largest known bacterium is ''[[Thiomargarita magnifica]],'' described in 2022, at an average length of 10&nbsp;mm.<ref name=Amos2022/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Devlin |first1=Hannah |title=Scientists discover world's largest bacterium, the size of an eyelash |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jun/23/scientists-discover-world-largest-bacterium-thiomargarita-magnifica-bacteria |work=The Guardian |date=23 June 2022 }}</ref>

[[File:DistributionThiomargaritaNamibiensisNamibia.jpg|thumb|Distribution of Thiomargarita Namibiensis in Namibia]]

In 2002 a strain exhibiting 99% identity with ''Thiomargarita namibiensis'' was found in sediment cores taken from the Gulf of Mexico during a research expedition.<ref name="Girnth Grünke Lichtschlag et al 2011">{{cite journal |last1=Girnth |first1=Anne-Christin |last2=Grünke |first2=Stefanie |last3=Lichtschlag |first3=Anna |last4=Felden |first4=Janine |last5=Knittel |first5=Katrin |last6=Wenzhöfer |first6=Frank |last7=de Beer |first7=Dirk |last8=Boetius |first8=Antje |title=A novel, mat-forming Thiomargarita population associated with a sulfidic fluid flow from a deep-sea mud volcano |journal=Environmental Microbiology |date=February 2011 |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=495–505 |doi=10.1111/j.1462-2920.2010.02353.x |pmid=20946529 |bibcode=2011EnvMi..13..495G }}</ref> This similar strain either occurs in single cells or clusters of 2, 4, and 8 cells, as opposed to the Namibian strain which occurs in single chains of cells separated by a thin mucus sheath.<ref name="Kalanetra_2005" />