This might be weird but...
I have favorite bacteria, or rather species that I'm fond of and kind of 'cheer' for.
Bacillus subtilis: It's my first born and the species I really first focused on in grad school. We spent long hours in the lab together. I sent it to space (ISS). It came back and survived. I sent it to (simulated) Mars. It survived.
Legionella pneumoniae: It's SO PRETTY when you see it on BCYE agar. It's crackled iridescence and deadly deadly beauty if you breathe it in.
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia: This sucker is PERSISTENT. It can survive in very low nutrient conditions (purified water) and endure some major chemical trauma and just bounce back. I also learned today that some guy had to have his fingers amputated after this bug infected his skin and was just resistant to all the antibiotics they tried to throw at it.
Moral: Be like bacteria. Beautiful, deadly, and resilient. Also, better supported when you're in a community (biofilm).
