This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
Image of the Week #17, November 15, 2011:
From:Serratia marcescens: A Tale of Bleeding Statues, Cursed Polenta, Insect Liquefaction, and Contact Lens Cases by Jennifer Frazer at The Artful Amoeba
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Original source: Robert Shanks, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
These cultures of the bacterium Serratia marcescens show the persistent red pigment it produces called prodigiosin. You might recognize it from the pink film that appears on grout lines in your shower or the inside of your toilet bowl. This ubiquitous bacteria is responsible for quite the array of phenomena: everything from miraculous bleeding statues to elkhorn graveyards to respiratory and eye infections.