A Microbial Miracle!

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0:00In 1263, a priest performing mass at Bolsena broke the bread, which immediately started bleeding,

0:07which as far as religious symbolism goes, is a bit on the nose. But this was such a

0:12mind-blowing thing to see that it was immediately labelled a miracle, and the event became famous

0:16enough that Rafael painted a fresco in the Vatican depicting the scene. The blood was,

0:21however, probably not miraculous, but microbial. Serratia marcenscens produces

0:26a red compound called Prodigiosin. And it is rather common. This bacterium grows on bread,

0:31but also on damp statues, causing them to look like they are crying tears of blood. But knowing

0:36the cause of the mysterious bleeding doesn’t mean the so-called blood isn’t miraculous in

0:41it’s own way; Today, researchers are studying Prodigiosin for its anticancerous properties.