A bacteria like this can have gone dormant a thousand years ago. But it wakes up when you make some rice or pasta in the kitchen. The result can be nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhoea. The photo shows Bacillus licheniformis emerging from its endospore shell and was captured by scanning-electron microscope by Antje Hoenen (SEM Lab, University of Oslo) and Elisabeth H. Madslien (The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment).