Electric Bacteria

Scientists have found organisms that bypass metabolism entirely to eat and excrete pure electrons. Such organisms are family Geobacteraceae. Geobacter are anaerobic bacteria. The organisms have the ability to oxidize organic compounds and metals, including iron, radioactive metals and petroleum compounds into environmentally benign carbon dioxide while using iron oxide or other available metals as electron acceptor

Writing in BioTechnqiues, Jeffrey M. Perkel provides an overview of these organisms. The paper can be accessed in full here.

Posted by Tim Sandle