article_snippet: A big debate researchers have been having about how small life on Earth can get may be over.
article_snippet: Scientists from the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeleythe US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, BerkeleyEnergy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory the University of California, Berkeley, captured photos of 'ultra-small bacteria' (pictured) Scientists say that the ultra-small bacteria cells have an average volume of 0.009 cubic microns which means that almost 150 of the miniscule bacteria could fit inside an Escherichia coli cell .
article_snippet: Ultra-small bacteria cells have an average volume of 0.009 cubic microns
article_snippet: [one micron is one millionth of a meter], according to Berkeley Lab.
article_snippet: Close to 150 of the miniscule bacteria could fit inside an Escherichia coli cell.
article_snippet: More than 150,000 Escherichia cells could fit onto the tip of a single human hair.
article_snippet: Luef added: 'There isn't a consensus over how small a free-living organism can be, and what the space optimization strategies may be for a cell at the lower size limit for life.'