Nanowires from Geobacter
EE Times delivers reports from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst of “observing and measuring the conductivity of long wires, 3 to 5 nanometers in diameter, emanating [what an interesting choice of verbs] from the Geobacter bacteria.” Researchers have known for years of Geobacters ability to metabolize metals from soils and water, applying it to environmental cleanup.
“‘The microbial world never stops surprising us,’ said Aristides Patrinos, associate director of the DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research. ‘This discovery illustrates the continuing relevance of the physical sciences to today’s biological investigations.’”
Find out more from UMass’ Derek Lovely’s team and read the research group’s article (.pdf) in Nature.
