Stick an electrode in the ground, pump electrons down it, and they will come: living cells that eat electricity. We have known bacteria to survive on a variety of energy sources, but none as weird as this. Think of Frankenstein's monster, brought to life by galvanic energy, except these "electric bacteria" are very real and are popping up all over the place.
Unlike any other living thing on Earth, electric bacteria use energy in its purest form -- naked electricity in the shape of electrons harvested from rocks and metals. We already knew about two types [ed: subscription required], Shewanella and Geobacter. Now, biologists are showing that they can entice many more out of rocks and marine mud by tempting them with a bit of electrical juice. Experiments growing bacteria on battery electrodes demonstrate that these novel, mind-boggling forms of life are essentially eating and excreting electricity.
Related Stories
Scientists Have Found The Molecule That Allows Bacteria to 'Exhale' Electricity:
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.
[...] 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.
Journal Reference:
Scientists Have Found The Molecule That Allows Bacteria to 'Exhale' Electricity, (DOI: https://www.sciencealert.com/bacteria-in-mud-breathe-through-giant-snorkels-that-conduct-electricity)
Previously:
Electric Bacteria Create Currents Out of Thin - and Thick - Air
Electroactive Bacteria Can be Found All Over the Planet
Synthetic Biological Protein Nanowires with High Conductivity
Electric Life Forms that Live on Pure Energy/p>
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 17 2014, @09:58AM
How is electricity energy in its purest form? It's flowing charged particles (usually electrons). There's nothing pure about it.
I've seen the claim that light is pure energy. This is also not true, but definitely light is "more pure" than electric energy, since there are no flowing charged particles involved. Therefore if you look for the life forms which live on the "purest form of energy", look no farther than to plants.
(Score: 2) by b on Thursday July 17 2014, @10:45AM
Mod parent up!
Yes, I was thinking the same thing. Nuclear fusion is probably "purer" too? Or heat? This seems to be a ludicrous claim.
(Score: 2) by Dunbal on Thursday July 17 2014, @02:47PM
That's ok soon they will discover life forms capable of turning electromagnetic radiation into energy. Oh wait, there's a whole kingdom (Plantae) that does this...
(Score: 1) by b on Thursday July 17 2014, @11:07PM
Well, electromagnetic radiation *is* energy, but I understand your point.
(Score: 1) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 17 2014, @11:02AM
Some idiot thinks the electrical energy powering Teh Internets is pure somehow. Recycled electrons are so green!
(Score: 4, Insightful) by sjames on Thursday July 17 2014, @12:18PM
From a biological standpoint, electrical potential is the more fundamental form. The metabolic key is electro-chemical energy. Plants use light to mobilize electrons.
(Score: 2) by Sir Garlon on Thursday July 17 2014, @12:49PM
I just posted something snarky but wow, you have an intelligent observation. Thanks for sharing it!
[Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight that is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.
(Score: 1) by My Silly Name on Thursday July 17 2014, @01:16PM
(Score: 3, Informative) by Sir Garlon on Thursday July 17 2014, @12:35PM
The debate over what form of energy is "purest" is kind of silly because there is no good definition of what the phrase "pure energy" means, other than "I have never passed a class in physics." :-) But I will gladly jump into the debate anyway, for fun. Too much coffee this morning.
The case for light being the purer form of energy is that when you have electron-positron annihilation and convert matter into energy, what you get are two gamma photons of 511 keV each. What exactly those photons are is open to interpretation so in true S/N fashion I will enlist the aspect of the truth that supports my argument and ignore those aspects that don't. Photons are waves and you can't prove me wrong. ;-) Waves are energy. QED.
The case for electricity being the purer form of energy is that when you look at light as a wave, the medium that wave travels through is an electromagnetic field. As my intermediate physics textbook eloquently put it, "if light is a wave, what's waving?" An electromagnetic field: that is, an electric field and a simultaneous, orthogonal magnetic field. So the electric field is half of that energy field that makes up the light wave/photon thingy. So it's like, the photon could be viewed as a particle, and particles definitely are matter not energy* so that's not pure. Pure energy is the photon-as-a-wave, and the photon-as-a-wave is made up of an electric field. Well, partly. The other half of it is a magnetic field. So ... um ... if the wave is made up of two things it can't be pure? Electric fields and magnetic fields are the Two Pure Forms of Energy! And, hot grits and Natalie Portman. QED, or something.
* Unless you understand what E = mc^2 implies
[Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight that is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 17 2014, @01:23PM
With this argument, it only seems fitting to bring in a Terry Pratchett quote: "The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." ... so with Sir Garlon's argument above, the "purest" form of energy is obviously that which is found in a good book.
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Thursday July 17 2014, @12:43PM
IANAP(hysicist) but if you think about it, there is no pure form of energy because, define "pure energy". We should all know the two basic types: kinetic and potential. Electromagnetic (light), electricity, acoustic, motion (mechanical movement) and thermal energies are kinetic. Which of those sounds more pure? Potential energy is stored energy such as chemical, gravitational, mechanical storage (like a spring) and nuclear energy. When talking about pure energy we think thermal or electromagnetic, basically kinetic energies.
Here is a better way of thinking about pure energy. Instead of trying to call a form of energy "pure" how about we instead think in terms of the ability for energy to move around? Think of it like this: of all the forms of kinetic energy, electromagnetic is the most abundant form. Why? It is the fastest method of moving energy from point A to point B. It can penetrate solid matter or be absorbed by it. It is also emitted by the most powerful potential energy sources, stars. So light isn't pure energy, it is just the best form of energy for moving around the universe (and earth too!).
So in summary, "pure energy" is a bad phrase, stop using it. Instead, think of light as being the most portable form and hence, the most flexible.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Jaruzel on Thursday July 17 2014, @10:13AM
New Scientist just re-print others articles. Which is why after receiving it through my letterbox for 10 years, I finally gave up and canceled my subscription.
Anyway, here's a link to the full text of the article on another site - it looks like the news is very old news (circa 2010):
http://www.sciencedreams.com/240-live-wires-the-electric-superorganism-under-your-feet/#more-213 [sciencedreams.com]
-Jar
This is my opinion, there are many others, but this one is mine.
(Score: 2) by karmawhore on Thursday July 17 2014, @01:10PM
=kw= lurkin' to please
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 17 2014, @02:11PM
Yeah, seriously, why do we need a news site that just reprints stuff from other news sites. Even if it does allow comments.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 17 2014, @03:13PM
Especially when the other news sites are just doing the same thing and SN is republishing a secondary source. At the least we need a way to find primary sources for reprinted articles and rate those sources over time to prioritize the most informative ones.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 17 2014, @03:57PM
just wondering if these bacteria have some high-tech research center ala cern (but in the bacteria world) and once in a while they shot (or disperse?) some aerosol into the atmosphere and then wait for dinner ..err...lightning to strike?
if not then somebody should tell them about this!
on a more serious note though, electricity (or electron flow) tends to be a good indicator for a path of least resistance.
so the big news might be that this bacteria seem to have figured out how to let electricity "do work on them" even though it could potentially go another way (around them)?
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Thursday July 17 2014, @06:51PM
Information Society [youtube.com] knew about this years ago.
(Score: 1) by resignator on Thursday July 17 2014, @07:21PM
I have often wondered if it would be possible to genetically engineer a plant like algae to produce electricity. Seems I have my answer. Only problem is when the algae spills over into the environment. Then again, it would be nice to catch a fish that was cooked for me already.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 18 2014, @10:34AM
In principle it certainly is possible. We have plants, and we have animals that produce electricity, like the electric eel. Therefore a plant that produces electricity should be no fundamental problem. (Oh, and our brain also produces electricity, in the form of nerve signals.)
Concluding from a bacterium that consumes electricity onto one that produces it is quite a leap. An incandescent light bulb consumes electricity and produces light. However you cannot use the same technique to convert light into electricity (photovoltaic is based on completely different principles, which however can also be used to convert electricity to light; this is what LEDs do).
(Score: 1) by resignator on Friday July 18 2014, @08:12PM
Got curious and did a little research. Looks like it has been done:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100413121336.htm [sciencedaily.com]