New Energy Source For Microbes

[Moontanman]

New energy source for microbes

 

 

Microorganisms living in deep sea hydrothermal vents can grow off of energy derived from one of the simplest forms of anaerobic respiration ever described, according to a study published this week in Nature.

 

 

The reaction -- in which a chemical called formate is broken down into hydrogen and carbon dioxide -- was previously thought to be too energy poor to support the growth of even the smallest organisms. Finding single-celled microbes from Domain Arcahaea that can glean energy from it may point the way towards efficient hydrogen fuel production while providing clues as to how our planet's earliest inhabitants survived the harsh environment of a young Earth.

 

 

A deep-sea vent projects hot vent

fluid into the frigid water.

Image: Wikimedia commons, National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

 

 

Read more: New energy source for microbes - The Scientist - Magazine of the Life Sciences http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/57688/#ixzz0zj0cNuau