“Some claim they are a new life form responsible for a wide-range of diseases, including the calcification of the arteries that afflicts us all as we age. Others say they are simply too small to be living creatures.” New research describes the isolation of miniscule cell-like structures from diseased human arteries, which self-replicated in culture and showed evidence of containing DNA. Furthermore, they seemed to be building RNA, as a mechanism that transcribes code from DNA would do. The controversy provoked by the claims of naonbacteria supporters have been likened to that in physics around cold fusion. Less than 100 nanometers across, the idea that these particles can contain DNA and the proteins needed to function has been ridiculed, and positive findings are ascribed to contaminants. Moreover, they point out, the Finnish researchers promoting the nanobacteria concept have already set up a company to profit from diagnosis and therapy of the supposed disease-causing entities. Both critics and proponents agree that the evidence to data is not probative but only suggestive. — New Scientist