Giant inflatable E. coli bacteria sculpture goes on display in Scotland
- Published
A giant sculpture of a common type of bacteria has gone on display in Edinburgh for the first time.
The inflatable E. coli model is on display at the National Museum of Scotland.
It is around 27 metres long - which is five million times bigger than the real thing!
It was created by the artist Luke Jerram, who's been behind other large-scale artworks including a huge Moon balloon and Earth artwork.
WATCH: Giant model of E. coli bacteria being inflated
This artwork was installed to illustrate the importance of bacteria in our lives.
Although some forms of Escherichia coli (or E. coli) bacteria can cause illness, the bacteria also has a really important role in medical research.
Bacteria are small single-celled organisms.
They can be found in their millions on almost every habitat on Earth: soil, rock, oceans and even arctic snow, and are a vital part of the world's ecosystem.
They can even be found in the human body, and in fact there are around 10 times as many bacterial cells as there are human cells in the human body!
Most bacteria are harmless, and some are even helpful, but a small number of species can cause diseases.
Luke Jerram, the artist who created the sculpture wants people to think more about bacteria, which can't usually be seen without the help of microscopes.
He said: "Making visible the microscopic world around us, the artwork was made as an experimental object to contemplate.
"When standing next to it, does the bacteria alter our personal sense of scale? Does it look scary, beautiful, comical or alien?" he added.
