Researchers claim they've successfully captured microscopic images of the smallest bacterial forms of life to ever exist on the Earth.

Researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory under the U.S. Department of Energy and University of California, Berkeley said their work finally paid off and confirmed they have evidence of the most minute forms of bacteria to exist that's been in question for 20 years.

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Using electron microscopy, several kinds of bacteria were carefully examined, including three microbial phyla poorly understood so far.

These bacteria are apparently found in very common places, specifically in groundwater. Researchers were surprised by they could easily find the bacteria and by the even smaller size of the bacteria that were smaller previously thought.

The cells are so miniscule they have an average volume of 0.009 cubic microns. This means that 150 bacteria can easily fit into one single cell of Escherichia coli.

To further elaborate how small these bacteria are, researchers say over 150,000 of them can be placed on the tip of a human hair.

Researchers believe these are the smallest cells or any form of life to ever exist and still possess internal processes and material to sustain life.

The bacteria resemble densely packed spiral shapes similar to DNA. They apparently function with just a few ribosomes and a minimal metabolism and rely on other bacteria to subsist.

These newly discovered ultra small bacteria shows a subset of microbial life on Earth that scientists almost know nothing about, according to Jill Banfield from the Berkeley Lab and a UC Berkeley professor of Earth and Planetary Science.

The bacteria can be found in many environments and probably play important roles in microbial ecosystems.

Researchers collected these ultra small cells through a small series of filters with a size of 0.2 microns, which is the same size f filters used to sterilize water. The groundwater sample was teeming with tiny microbes and scientists were concerned if cells of this minute size can even be alive.

Study co author Birgit Luef from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology said this study is not a consensus about how small a free living organism can reach. This research, however, represents the pivotal first step in characterizing the size and structure of ultra small cells.

This study was published in the journal, Nature Communications.

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