Yellowstone Bacteria Defies Textbook Biology: Simultaneous Aerobic and Anaerobic Respiration

A groundbreaking discovery challenges our understanding of cellular respiration. Scientists have found a bacterium in a Yellowstone National Park hot spring capable of simultaneously performing both aerobic and anaerobic respiration—a feat previously thought impossible. This bacterium's unique metabolic pathway offers new insights into how life transitioned from anaerobic to aerobic respiration after the appearance of oxygen. It also highlights the astonishing diversity and adaptability of the microbial world. Published in Nature Communications, this research provides a new perspective on how life adapts to extreme environments.