Sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy is a powerful in situ probe of sulfur biochemistry in intact cells and tissues. Under favorable circumstances the technique can provide quantitative information on the chemical identify of the sulfur species that are present in a sample. Prange et al. have recently reported an X-ray absorption spectroscopic study of bacterial sulfur storage globules. Unfortunately there are substantial problems with the experimental technique employed that, they contend, lead to completely erroneous conclusions. In the more recent of their two papers Prange et al. employed a curve-fitting method similar to that used by us (for more than 10 years). In essence, the method employs simply fitting a linear combination of the spectra of standard compounds to that of the unknown, in this case cultures of bacterial cells. This type of analysis can provide quantitative estimates of the individual sulfur types in the sample, but is critically dependent upon the choice of reference spectra. Prange et al. deduce substantial differences between the chemical forms of sulfur stored in the globules of different organisms; they conclude that the globules of Beggiatoa alba and Thiomargarita namibiensis contain cyclo-octasulfur (Sâ), while those of other organisms contain polythionates (Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans) and polymeric sulfur (e.g. Allochromatium vinosum). This is in contradiction with an earlier study, in which they found that sulfur in all globule species examined resembled that expected for various sized spherical particles of Sâ. The discrepancy is due to an experimental artefact in the work of Prange et al. arising from their choice of transmittance detection, which is also discussed.