In this episode of Life's Little Mysteries, we'll take a closer look at the mysterious single-cell microbes that are simpler than most other organisms, yet are still intriguingly complex: bacteria.

What are bacteria and what do they look like? How long have bacteria been around? How do scientists study bacteria, and how do such simple organisms eat and reproduce? Listen to Life's Little Mysteries Episode 49: Mysterious Bacteria, to find out!

You'll also hear about why bacteria are necessary for our health (though some species can cause deadly diseases), and how carpenter ants and Blochmannia bacteria have a bond that goes back 51 million years. Now, neither can live without the other.

Co-hosts: Jeanna Bryner (Live Science editor-in-chief) and Mindy Weisberger (Live Science senior writer)

Guest host: Yasemin Saplakoglu (Live Science staff writer)

Guest scientist: Ehab Abouheif, professor of biology at McGill University in Montreal, Canada

Listen to Life's Little Mysteries, Episode 49: Mysterious Bacteria below or on Audioboom, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so you don’t miss out on new episodes.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for even more Life's Little Mysteries, and catch up on the latest Life's Little Mysteries articles. You can also join the conversation in our forums, where you can pose Life's Little Mysteries questions of your own, or even suggest topics for upcoming podcast episodes.

Originally published on Live Science.