A.V. Galchenko1,2, E.N. Terekhina1

1 Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (Moscow, Russia)

2 Center for Biotic Medicine (Moscow, Russia)

Background. The term «nanobacteria» was introduced in 1990 after the detection of nanosize bacteria-like structures in tavertines. Similar objects were found in Antarctica on a meteorite, presumably originating from Mars. Nucleic acids, in particular 16S rRNA, were often found in such «organisms». Further studies have shown that "nanobacteria" could be the cause of a number of diseases in humans.

Aim of the study. The main purpose was to highlight the history of the study of «nanobacteria»; to present research findings that allow to understand the structure of these objects; to describe their properties based on the current data; to bring arguments "pro et contra" the attribution of "nanobacteria" to bacteria or to living objects at all.

Results. In 2008, the «nanobacteria» structure was finally deciphered. They turned out to be nanoparticles consisting of protein – fetuin-A and apatite, nucleic acid traces in previous researches were considered to be contamination. After that, it was offered to reject the term «nanobacteria» for the word «nanone». Nanones are formed in biological mediums in case of optimal fetuin-A/calcium ions ratio. In the environment of a multicellular organism, nanones can cause an infection process, which leads to tissue calcification.

Significance. The discovered facts allow us to return to reasoning about how «alive» such objects are. Nanones are incapable of maintaining a constant inner medium as well as of reproduction. Nevertheless, they are self-organizing structures that are able to grow and form agglomerates. In a similar way, an incomplete set of «life attributes» can be observed in other structures, starting with Oparin-Haldane coacervate drops and Fox microspheres or prions, ending with viruses and even some cellular organisms, for example, Chlamydia spp. or Rickettsia spp. Such blurry borders between the living and non-living matters make us reflect about the definition of life itself and about what we want to find on other planets when searching for «traces of life».

Galchenko A.V., Terekhina E.N. Nanobacteria: genuine structure and place in the Universe. Technologies of Living Systems. 2022.
V. 19. № 1. P. 63-73. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18127/j20700997-202201-08

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