Special bacteria that "eat" electrons

Special bacteria that "eat" electrons

The team led by John L. Loeb, an associate professor of natural sciences at Harvard University, discovered that a common bacterium, Rhodopseudomonas palustris, is able to use natural conductivity to pull out the electrons in minerals from deep in the soil. The surface of the soil absorbs sunlight to produce energy.

Girguis said: “We have always believed that all organisms actually use electrons to work. The core part of this research is a process called extracellular electron transfer (EET), which is the process of electrons going in and out of cells. We can What is shown is that these microbes absorb electrons and participate in the metabolic process."

In the natural environment, the bacteria rely on iron to provide them with the electrons needed to generate energy. But laboratory tests show that iron itself is not decisive for this process. After the researchers attached electrons to the bacterial breeding vessels in the laboratory, bacteria were able to obtain electrons from non-metallic sources, suggesting that they may also be dependent on other electron-rich minerals in the natural environment.

Researchers also use genetic tools to identify a gene that is essential for the ability to absorb electrons. Girguis said that when the gene is turned off, the bacteria's ability to absorb electrons is reduced by one-third. We are curious about the specific role of this gene in electron absorption. There are similar genes in other microorganisms in nature, and we do not know their role. This study provided us with some evidence that other microorganisms may also be carrying out this process. ”

The microbes can use sunlight to generate energy, but the iron they need is sinking in the earth. In order to obtain electrons, microorganisms have evolved a unique way. They seem to absorb electrons through natural mineral conductive materials. As it absorbs electrons from iron, they create iron oxide crystals in the surrounding soil. These crystals can become conductive and become "circuits" that allow bacteria to oxidize minerals they cannot reach.

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