Astonishing rate of growth in your dental plaque

Recent research from the Marine Biological Laboratory at the University of Chicago, has uncovered an unusual form of cell division in one of the most common forms of bacteria – those that live in dental plaque. The researchers observed Corynebacterium matruchotii which produces precipitate calcium phosphate in the mouth, undergo a division process known as “multiple fission.” For bacteria, the most common form of cell division involves the parent cell splitting into two daughter cells. However, with multiple fission, the …