I remember a few years back when giant bacteria were discovered in some ocean trench that were so big they could be seen with the naked eye. Granted, these “giant” bacteria were about the size of the period at the end of this sentence, but compared to the next largest bacteria, it was like comparing a blue whale to a cricket (i believe that’s what the anecdote referenced).
So, this got me thinking- what are the largest of other things we normally think of as microscopic? Are there cells, or germs, or virii, or molecules of stuff, or etc. that we can see with the naked eye?
There is no such word as virii. Doesn’t exist. The plural of virus is viruses. Only, Ever. None are visible to the naked eye.
An ostrich egg is not a single cell. It is a huge number of different molecules that isn’t even wrapped around one living cell by the time you see it. By the time it is laid the embryo is well developed. Even if it did contain just one cell that’s like suggesting that if I put one bacterium in a 747 that bacterium is the size of a jumbo jet. The bacterium isn’t getting any bigger, just the package. Ditto for ostrich eggs, Normal sized cells, big basket.
There are cells you can see with the naked eye. Many plant cells are quite clearly visible in the right conditions.
The biggest ‘germs’ would be certain hyphal fungi, things like tinea. Quite clearly visible to the naked eye when grown in isolation and able to reach almost unlimited sizes, certainly many kilograms. They would be visible in situ but they blend in with and buried in the skin.
Many molecules are quite clearly visible. A diamond is a single molecule as are many crosslinked polymer objects. No problems seeing any of them with the naked eye.
Do you have a reference for these macroscopic bacteria? Macroscopic protists are rare enough and they are normally much larger than prokaryotes. I’m having hard time believing in macroscopic bacteria.
Actually, a more precise statement would be that the “yolk” portion of an unfertilized ostrich egg, including the germinal disc (which contains the cell nucleus and most of the cytoplasm) is the largest cell. The egg “white” (albumen) and the shell are not part of the cell itself. By the time a fertile egg is laid, there are probably a few thousand cells composing the embryo. However, the unfertilized germinal disc/yolk within the oviduct would constitute a single cell (within a single cell membrane), as would the germinal disc/yolk of an infertile ostrich egg after it is laid.
The largest protozoans are certain foraminifera (like amoebas with shells) that reach up to 5-6 cm (2 inches). Some fossil forms reached 15 cm (6 inches).