Cable Bacteria: Living Batteries Rewriting Bioenergetics
2025-07-27
Scientists at Aarhus University in Denmark have discovered cable bacteria, microbes that function like living batteries. These bacteria form centimeter-long chains, transporting electrons from sulfide in the mud to oxygen at the water's surface, generating energy across thousands of cells. This discovery challenges established bioenergetics, offering potential for environmental applications like reducing methane emissions from rice paddies by suppressing methanogens. However, challenges remain in culturing and genetically engineering these slow-growing bacteria due to their unique cellular structure and growth requirements.