Click here to see a JPEG of this microbe.
Kingdom: Eubacteria
Scientific Name: Bacillus stearothermophilus
Image Courtesy of: Pankratz, Stu
Image Width: 2 microns
Image Technology: TEM
These bacteria grow in warm temperatures. For this reason it is called a "thermophile" which means heat loving. These bacteria are among the most abundant in warm compost piles. This is a cross section (a view of a slice of the middle) of a spore of Bacillus stearothermophilus. Spores of bacteria allow the bacteria to survive harsh conditions until the time when the bacterium can thrive and reproduce.