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Microbiology · Chapter 4

Build a Bacterium

A bacterium is named by two things you can see down a microscope. One is its shape. The other is the pattern its cells fall into after they split. The pattern is not decided for them. It comes out of three simple choices: how many planes the cell divides in, and whether the daughters let go. Set those choices, then press Divide and watch the name build itself.

One cell

Microscope field showing the growing group of cells
1000× oil-immersion field · one coccus is about 1 µm across, one rod about 2 µm long
Build a bacteriumpick a shape, then press Divide
1cells in viewgeneration 0
Cell shape
Planes of division
After each split