Posted on 09/18/2020 4:17:57 PM PDT by BenLurkin
For mouthless, lungless bacteria, breathing is a bit more complicated than it is for humans. We inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide; Geobacter — a ubiquitous, groundwater-dwelling genus of bacteria — swallow up organic waste and "exhale" electrons, generating a tiny electric current in the process.
Those waste electrons always need somewhere to go (usually into a plentiful underground mineral like iron oxide), and Geobacter have an unconventional tool to make sure they get there.
"Geobacter breathe through what is essentially a giant snorkel, hundreds of times their size,"
That "snorkel" is called a nanowire. Though these tiny, conductive filaments are 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, they are capable of shuttling electrons hundreds to thousands of times the length of an individual Geobacter microbe's body. Thanks to this adaptation, Geobacter are some of the most impressive respirators on Earth.
... Malvankar and his colleagues have figured out how to combine that energy into a potent, microbial power grid.
Using advanced microscopy techniques, the researchers have uncovered the "secret molecule" that allows Geobacter to breathe over tremendously long distances previously unseen in bacteria. The team also found that, by stimulating colonies of Geobacter with an electric field, the microbes conducted electricity 1,000 times more efficiently than they do in their natural environment.
Understanding these innate, electrical adaptations could be a crucial step in transforming Geobacter colonies into living, breathing batteries, the researchers said.
...
[L]ab-grown Geobacter sulfurreducens microbes display another clever survival trick when exposed to a small electrode, or a disk that conducts electricity. Stimulated by the electric field, the microbes assemble into dense biofilms — interlinked piles of hundreds of individual microbes, moving electrons through a single shared network.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
Electrifying news.
Well, some of the things I’ve said have shocked a lot of people.
Stimulated by the electric field, the microbes assemble into dense biofilms — interlinked piles of hundreds of individual microbes, moving electrons through a single shared network.
—
They show extreme intelligence, even problem-solving intelligence. Especially the big one.
It seems very odd that a more complicated solution to some conundrum for living beings evolved billions(?) of years before the evolution of mammals, in particular the evolution(supposed) of humans, who are many, many orders of magnitude more advanced than any old bacteria. An argument against evolution? Just sayin...
Perhaps these geobacters evolved from more primitive ones? Their early electron snorkels were made with stone tools and animal skins...
I’m the reverse of that.
I soak up energy and never release any.
What does the bacteria eat? If they could survive on farts you could put a batch in your car seat.
We need trillions of ‘em in Kalifornia. Wind and solar ain’t cuttin’ it.
Right out of James Rollins “Seventh Plague”
These Geobacters are found in groundwater, which I guess explains the current. Why yes, I would like a rimshot. Thanks BenLurkin.
 |
||
| · join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic · subscribe · | ||
| Google news searches: exoplanet · exosolar · extrasolar · | ||
Bacteria exhaling electricity used to be called a mother-in-law
Gonna make potato clocks obsolete....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.