Shocking Discovery: Scientists Discover Organism That Act Like Living Electrical Wires
Organism Living Electrical Wire
Scientists identified a new electrically conductive bacterium, Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensis, with potential applications in pollution cleanup and bioelectronics.
A previously unknown species of bacteria that can conduct electricity has been discovered, opening the door to novel bioelectronic technologies. The fields of medicine, industrial manufacturing, food safety, and environmental monitoring and remediation could all benefit from these applications.
Candidatus Electrothrix yaqonensis has been given the name of the newly discovered bacterium that was found in mudflats along the Oregon coast. The Indigenous people who lived in the area where it was discovered are honored by the name.
The findings were published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
The discovery was made by Cheng Li, a postdoctoral researcher at Oregon State University (OSU) at the time, and Clare Reimers, a distinguished professor emerita in OSU’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. The team isolated the bacterium from intertidal sediment samples collected from the Yaquina Bay estuary.
Cable bacteria are made up of rod-shaped cells that are joined together at each end by a common outer membrane, resulting in filaments that can be several centimeters long. An adaptation that optimizes their metabolic processes in the sediment environments in which they live is their unusual electrical conductivity.
Unique Features and Evolutionary Significance
Cable bacteria are made up of rod-shaped cells that are joined together at each end by a common outer membrane, resulting in filaments that can be several centimeters long. An adaptation that optimizes their metabolic processes in the sediment environments in which they live is their unusual electrical conductivity.
“This new species seems to be a bridge, an early branch within the Ca. According to Li, who will return to Oregon State as an assistant professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences in June after a stint on the faculty at James Madison University, "the Electrothrix clade, which suggests it could provide new insights into how these bacteria evolved and how they might function in different environments."
“It stands out from all other described cable bacteria species in terms of its metabolic potential, and it has distinctive structural features, including pronounced surface ridges, up to three times wider than those seen in other species, that house highly conductive fibers made of unique, nickel-based molecules.”
The fibers connect electron acceptors like oxygen or nitrate at the sediment surface with donors like sulfide in deeper sediment layers, making long-distance electron transport possible for the bacteria. The bacteria’s ability to participate in reduction-oxidation reactions over significant distances gives it a key role in sediment geochemistry and nutrient cycling.
Environmental and Technological Implications
“These bacteria can transfer electrons to clean up pollutants, so they could be used to remove harmful substances from sediments,” Li said. “Also, their design of a highly conductive nickel protein can possibly inspire new bioelectronics.”
Cable bacteria can live under diverse climatic conditions and are found in various environments, including both freshwater and saltwater sediments.
Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensis draws its name from the Yaqona people, whose ancestral lands encompassed Yaquina Bay. Yaqona referred to the bay and river that made up much of their homeland, as well as to the people themselves.
Today, Yaqona descendants are part of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, with whom the researchers worked on coming up with a name for the new species.
“Naming an ecologically important bacterium after a Tribe recognizes its historical bond with the land and acknowledges its enduring contributions to ecological knowledge and sustainability,” Li said.
Reference: “A novel cable bacteria species with a distinct morphology and genomic potential” by Anwar Hiralal, Philip Ley, Jesper R. van Dijk, Cheng Li, Dmitrii Pankratov, Jiji Alingapoyil Choyikutty, Galina Pankratova, Jeanine S. Geelhoed, Diana Vasquez-Cardenas, Clare E. Reimers and Filip J. R. Meysman, 22 April 2025, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
DOI: 10.1128/aem.02502-24
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