Scientists at Yale University and NOVA-FCT have discovered how soil germs “breathe” in oxygen-less environments by using a protein family to send excess electrons to nanowires, producing a natural electrical grid underground. Credit: SciTechDaily.comSoil bacteria use proteins to power nanowires, forming an underground electrical grid that supports life and impacts methane emissions.To “breathe” in an environment without oxygen, germs in the ground below our feet depend upon a single family of proteins to transfer excess electrons, produced throughout the “burning” of nutrients, to electrical hairs called nanowires predicting from their surface area, found by scientists at Yale University and NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon (NOVA-FCT). They discovered that many kinds of soil bacteria depend upon a single, widespread family of cytochromes inside their bodies to charge nanowires.Environmental Impact and Future PotentialUnderstanding the details of this nanowire charging is important for the potential development of new energy sources and brand-new biomaterials and its impact on the environment.
