Strange Bacteria Can Build Electricity-Carrying Cables in Mud (sciencemag.org) 11
Bacteria in mud samples have been transformed into microbial fuel cells generating enough electricity to power a toy car — just part of a larger phenomenon that one chemical engineer had originally dismissed as "complete nonsense."
Science magazine remembers how Lars Peter Nielsen's 2009 experiment at Denmark's Aarhus University changed the way the world viewed bacteria: At the start of the experiment, the muck was saturated with hydrogen sulfide — the source of the sediment's stink and color. But 30 days later, one band of mud had become paler, suggesting some hydrogen sulphide had gone missing. Eventually, the microsensors indicated that all of the compound had disappeared....
The first explanation, he says, was that the sensors were wrong. But the cause turned out to be far stranger: bacteria that join cells end to end to build electrical cables able to carry current up to 5 centimeters through mud. The adaptation, never seen before in a microbe, allows these so-called cable bacteria to overcome a major challenge facing many organisms that live in mud: a lack of oxygen. Its absence would normally keep bacteria from metabolizing compounds, such as hydrogen sulfide, as food. But the cables, by linking the microbes to sediments richer in oxygen, allow them to carry out the reaction long distance.
Slashdot reader sciencehabit calls it one of the discoveries "forcing researchers to rewrite textbooks; rethink the role that mud bacteria play in recycling key elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous; and reconsider how they influence aquatic ecosystems and climate change. Scientists are also pursuing practical applications, exploring the potential of cable and nanowire bacteria to battle pollution and power electronic devices."
Science magazine remembers how Lars Peter Nielsen's 2009 experiment at Denmark's Aarhus University changed the way the world viewed bacteria: At the start of the experiment, the muck was saturated with hydrogen sulfide — the source of the sediment's stink and color. But 30 days later, one band of mud had become paler, suggesting some hydrogen sulphide had gone missing. Eventually, the microsensors indicated that all of the compound had disappeared....
The first explanation, he says, was that the sensors were wrong. But the cause turned out to be far stranger: bacteria that join cells end to end to build electrical cables able to carry current up to 5 centimeters through mud. The adaptation, never seen before in a microbe, allows these so-called cable bacteria to overcome a major challenge facing many organisms that live in mud: a lack of oxygen. Its absence would normally keep bacteria from metabolizing compounds, such as hydrogen sulfide, as food. But the cables, by linking the microbes to sediments richer in oxygen, allow them to carry out the reaction long distance.
Slashdot reader sciencehabit calls it one of the discoveries "forcing researchers to rewrite textbooks; rethink the role that mud bacteria play in recycling key elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous; and reconsider how they influence aquatic ecosystems and climate change. Scientists are also pursuing practical applications, exploring the potential of cable and nanowire bacteria to battle pollution and power electronic devices."
Excellent. (Score:5, Interesting)
I love when scientists discover these kind of things because it means we may be able to modify them for our own ends. This particular type of adaptation seems like it would be helpful for extracting particular elements from a chemical sludge. This seems like something that would be useful for planetary terraforming or just cleaning up a big chemical mess you made.
Re: (Score:3)
Is that where we're at in 2020? Exploiting poor microbes who just discovered electricity?
Re: (Score:2)
Not only will we exploit them but we won't even pay them! ;)
Well (Score:3)
Good news for once (Score:2)
When I saw "Strange Bacteria" in the headline, I was thinking, "Oh crap, more bad news; I bet they eat your face off."
The Year 2525 (Score:2, Funny)
If man is still alive:
Administrative Functionary #2: Sir, there's a problem with laying new undersea cables.
President of Elbonia (now including the entire Northern Hemisphere: Wha? We need to those cables, fix the problem.
AF#2: Cannot Dear Leader, the bacteria have gone on strike.
PofE: On strike? Since when do bacteria go on strike?
AF#2: Since they formed a union. They feel there is more to life and building undersea cables.
PofE: But but but....they're bacteria, give'em muck and they are happy, what more do
I'll believe it ... (Score:2)
Not new? (Score:2)