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For hundreds of years, scientists have been confident that all life on our The planet is divided into chemotrophs and phototrophs. Chemotrophs get electricity from energy-intensive environmental substances how many animals and humans from food, phototrophs from sunlight. Not less recently, it became known that on Earth there is a third kind of life. These creatures, however fantastic it may be sounded powered by clean electricity. They have already been called electrotrophs.
These organisms were probably the first to notice the Japanese a year ago. biologists. Scientists from the Land of the Rising Sun studied deep sea bacteria oxidizing ferrous iron to ferric and receiving thanks to this vital energy. Researchers suggested that the simplest iron is not necessary in this case, and “fed” microorganisms with pure electricity, that is, electrons. And they perfectly accepted the proposed “breakfast” …
After that, American biophysicists began the study of electrotrophs in nature. Experts climbed into one and a half kilometer abandoned mine in the southwest of South Dakota and found there old pipes in which left water with rust. Scientists took a sample of water and placed electrodes in it, through which they let current. In five microbes must grow for months, and then Americans can to say with certainty whether such bacteria are really capable eat directly with electrons.
Electrotrophic creatures – part of our planet
Not so long ago on the seabed off Catalina Island in the Caribbean a large variety of bacteria were found, mining electricity from minerals and metals. If the assumptions of scientists are true, then these microbes are able to eat clean electricity, and they live on Earth a great many – in in particular, in marine sediments under the oceans, in crevices under the earth surface and so on. At first, the experts were amazed that such organisms generally exist, and now they are stunned because that “electro-eating microbes” can make up a significant percentage the inhabitants of the planet.
A photo from open sources
Currently, experts are trying to determine how these microorganisms metabolize. As it appears, electrons are transferred from the environment to bacteria through heme-containing proteins in the membranes. It was previously believed that none a living creature in our world is not capable of this. It is worth scientists once and prove forever that electrotrophs exist, and we can say about a real revolution in biology.
There is nothing that living things feed on electricity surprising. We are using carbohydrates, proteins and fats, digest electricity at the cellular level. Plants get electricity from sunlight through photosynthesis. Famous Hungarian biochemist Albert Szent-Györgyi once said both scientific and poetic phrase: “Life is only an electron that seeks peace. “The only question is how this or that the body extracts this electron from the environment.
Scientists are convinced that the study of electrotrophs promises science many discoveries. Probably these amazing bacteria will allow experts shed light on how on our planet arose biological life.
Water Plant Life
