Bacteria grow mainly by a process called binary fission, which is like splitting in half! One bacterium divides into two, then those two divide into four, and so on. It's a very quick way to make lots of bacteria.
Here's a simplified explanation:
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Eating and Growing: Bacteria need food to grow, just like you! They take in nutrients through their cell walls.
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Copying their DNA: Before dividing, the bacterium makes a copy of all its important instructions (DNA).
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Splitting in Two (Binary Fission): The bacterium grows bigger, and then it splits down the middle, creating two new, identical bacteria. Each new bacterium gets a copy of the DNA.
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Repeating the Process: These new bacteria then eat, grow, copy their DNA, and divide again! This process can happen very quickly, sometimes in less than 20 minutes under ideal conditions.
Because bacteria reproduce so quickly, even a single bacterium can become billions in just a day! This is why it's important to wash your hands, as bacteria can quickly multiply and cause illness. They are all around us, but most are harmless and some are even helpful.
