Sensational Discovery of Bacteria the Function as Living Electrical Cables

For the past three years scientists have been trying to discover the origin of electric currents which have been measured in the ocean floor. The mystery has now been solved with the discovery of bacteria which transport the current within their bodies.

The bacteria are one hundred times thinner than a hair, yet contain a bundle of wire-like filaments enclosed by an insulating membrane – not dissimilar to the electric cable connecting your computer to the mains. This adaptation gives the bacteria a unique advantage, as they connect the oxygen consumption in marine sediments to the oxidation of sulphide which occurs deeper in the sea-bed. The overall movement of electrons (over distances of up to 1cm!) helps the bacteria generate the energy they need to survive.

Despite their success – under a single square meter of sea bed there can be tens of thousands of kilometres of ‘cables’ – these bacteria are very fragile. The electric currents can be interrupted just by pulling a thin wire horizontally through the sea floor and even small disturbances can cause fatal ‘cable breakage’.