This is a very old (relatively) research sample of lanthanum hexaboride. If that chemical name means anything to you, then you likely belong to the 0.01% of the living human population that has been privileged enough to have experience in the realm of electron microscopy, or possibly some other advanced technology involvingthe precise blasting of electrons.
Well-scrubbed hands. University of Buffalo researchers in New York published a study December 27 in the journal Infection and Immunity that found that Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes can live on surfaces such as toys, books and cribs for weeks or even months.
The Staphylococcus bacteria, or Staph, can survive for as little as a few hours to as long as many months! Hard surfaces that are cleaned are less likely to harbor bacteria, but porous surfaces like towels and sponges are perfect breeding grounds for bacteria. Humidity is also a factor, if it's lower then 10% then bacteria will not be able to survive on a dry surface for long. It's important to keep areas clean because any kind of nutrient (food crumbs, skin cells, droplets from a sneeze) helps them live. Wednesday, February 01 2012.