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 224 || AWSAR Awarded Popular Science Stories - 2019
Little Magnetic Microorganisms Treating Deadly Brain Tumor: My Science Communication Journey
  Ms. Ankita Rathore*
Email: rathoreankita024@gmail.com
Are you aware that there exist little magnetotactic bacteria on earth’s surface with built in compasses, just like a magnet, to keep a track of the earth’s magnetic field? This has intrigued the scientific community over a past few years leading to many exciting scientific discoveries treating Glioblastoma Multiforme through nano targeted therapy is one such discovery.
Magnetotactic Bacteria, Magnetosomes and their magnetic personality
The history of magnetotactic bacteria goes long back to 1960s, when Richard Blakemore discovered them. They consume iron salts and biomineralize them into magnetite (Iron Oxide) or greigite (Iron Sulphide) crystals in bacterial entities known as Magnetosomes. These
nano-crystals of the size of ~50 nm provide these magnetotactic bacteria their natural magnetism. However, these bacteria are unable to survive in aerobic (too much oxygen) or anaerobic (no oxygen) conditions and only thrive in “micro-aerophilic” (a perfect oxygen controlled) environment in sediment or water bodies. Perhaps in the quest for ideal oxygen environment, they have evolved a magnetic process called “magnetic-aerotaxis” to adequately utilize earth”s magnetic field. With the help of this, intracellular nanocrystal chains of magnetite or greigite in magnetosomes align themselves according to Earth”s natural magnetic field.
The discovery of these magnetotactic bacteria evoked a great scientific interest in magnetosomes and its potential applications in
 * Ms. Ankita Rathore, PhD Scholar from CSIR- National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources, Delhi, is pursuing her research on “Science Communication and Social Media”. Her popular science story entitled “Little Magnetic Microorganisms Treating Deadly Brain Tumor: My Science Communication Journey” has been selected for AWSAR Award.

























































































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