# what are the biggest cells/germs/bacteria/molecules/etc.? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 26, 2004, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-cells-germs-bacteria-molecules-etc/242061 "2004-04-26T07:02:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-cells-germs-bacteria-molecules-etc/242061/1 "2004-04-26T07:02:35Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-cells-germs-bacteria-molecules-etc/242061/2 "2004-04-26T07:29:47Z")
Cell - An ostrich egg can be seen with the naked eye. Molecule- Precipitating DNA out looks pretty cool. I suppose you could start talking about plastics and crystals as well. ---
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-cells-germs-bacteria-molecules-etc/242061/3 "2004-04-26T07:44:03Z")
> [@antechinus](#): > > Cell - An ostrich egg can be seen with the naked eye. Bwahahaha- we have a winner! ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-cells-germs-bacteria-molecules-etc/242061/4 "2004-04-26T09:56:12Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-cells-germs-bacteria-molecules-etc/242061/5 "2004-04-26T10:35:40Z")
beleive it or not! [http://www.whoi.edu/home/about/currents8\_vol4\_teske.html](http://www.whoi.edu/home/about/currents8_vol4_teske.html) ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-cells-germs-bacteria-molecules-etc/242061/6 "2004-04-26T12:18:05Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > 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. They lied to me at school. I was told an unfertilised egg yolk was the largest cell. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-cells-germs-bacteria-molecules-etc/242061/7 "2004-04-26T15:38:12Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > 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. I’m surprised you’re not aware of the find. It was quite well publicized: > [@](#): > > The organism can grow to as large as 3/4 of a millimeter across, which means it is visible to the naked eye as a speck – about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. > > The new-found bacterium is 100 times larger than the previous record-holder, Epulospiscum fishelsoni, which lives in the guts of the surgeonfish. Fromm[CNN](http://www.cnn.com/NATURE/9904/15/biggest.bacteria/). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-cells-germs-bacteria-molecules-etc/242061/8 "2004-04-26T15:57:20Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > 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. 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. From [here](http://www.uoguelph.ca/zoology/devobio/210labs/embryodisc1.html): > [@](#): > > Recall that the portion of a hen’s egg that we call the “yolk” in everyday terms is really a single cell, the female germ cell (or the oocyte or the ovum). It is termed “megalecithal” because of the huge quantity of yolk. cleavage is incomplete (meroblastic) and is restricted to the small portion of yolk-free cytoplasm called the germinal disc. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-cells-germs-bacteria-molecules-etc/242061/9 "2004-04-26T16:08:58Z")
> [@Freejooky](#): > > 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? 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). [http://www.microbe.org/microbes/biggest.asp](http://www.microbe.org/microbes/biggest.asp) ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-biggest-cells-germs-bacteria-molecules-etc/242061/10 "2004-04-26T16:13:09Z")
FWIW, human ova are big enough to be visible to the naked eye. That’s what my 7th grade sex-ed teacher said, anyway.