Microbes Make Electricity From Mud

Judebert writes "University of Massachusetts microbiologists have discovered that certain microbes, under ordinary conditions, create electricity from the mud they live in. The scientists used plain mud from Boston Harbor, mason jars, a few carbon electrodes, and some wiring to light a lightbulb with the Geobacter-supplied power. Apparently they're eating one of the electrodes, along with some complex organics, to do the deed. (The microbes, not the scientists.) With a bit of genetic engineering, they could be modified to eat toxic organic wastes, such as toluene, thereby providing electricity, lighting a light and warning you that there's something in the water. The UMass article has pictures, but if you're just interested in the text you can check out this Science Daily article instead."

It starts with mud..

[AnalogBoy]

It starts with mud...
It moves to toxic waste..
But fed on the toxic waste, we now have giant protazoa.. haven't you seen any cheezy b-movies?

Next comes humans. They then take over the world. Yeah, Brilliant idea. Of course, they'll genetically engineer them where they aren't vicious. But it just takes one mad TacerrScientist. And the world ends. Do you really want it to go that far?

Say NO to protazoic fuel! Say YES to having all the exercise equipment in the world hooked up to generators! Turn excess body heat into fuel! Install waterwheels in urinals and drainspouts! Endorse the sciences! Find superconductors! Save the whales! Milk the cow! Push the piston! press the button!

::smoke continues to pour from ears::

--Mad Scientist A. Boy, Happy Worker.

Re:It starts with mud..

[morcheeba]

They already have waterwheels in urinals [zzz.com.ru]; we just need to bust the patent and make installation mandatory!

Re:It starts with mud..

[p3d0]

Say YES to having all the exercise equipment in the world hooked up to generators!

Actually, at the gym I go to, many of the machines don't plug into the wall current. The electricity needed to power the machine comes from the person using it.

I suspected something like this was coming

[imrdkl]

It's the natural followup to the nanoprobes measuring toxic waste article from a couple of days ago.

Re:I suspected something like this was coming

[Tessera]

I must have missed that one, but I can see how it would follow...

Re:I suspected something like this was coming

[imrdkl]

The discussion is here [slashdot.org]. Hemos posted it under technology.

Matrix?

[leucadiadude]

Anybody else see the parallel to the Matrix universe?

Oh, yes.

[codexus]

I was just about to make a post about that when I saw you already did. So what will happen when one of these microbes asks itself "What is the Matrix?". ;)

Use our powers for good?

[Tessera]

It talks about how it is possible to use it as an alarm or warning device, but what about as an energy source? I would assume, since it doesn't mention it at all, that the energy produced isn't enough to be used for power production, but does anyone know for sure? And I think that this sort of thing has been discussed before, I seem to remember something like this - oh wait, canaries! =) But if this is possible, it could have a lot of uses. Assuming that they could be engineered to eat other things, they could detect almost anything. Stick it down into your basement to check for radon, (although I doubt anything would eat radon) to check for contamination, for traces of anything, really. And even if none of this is possible, at least we'll have glow in the dark mud, right? =)

Bahstahn Hahbah

[SnoopDobb]

There is nothing *plain* about the mud in Boston Harbor. That stuff must be alive!

The harbor is ridiculously dirty... I wouldn't be surprised if there were lots of new life forms in that sludge!!

Re:Bahstahn Hahbah

[nomadic]

Beat me to mentioning that. They might want to try mud that hasn't been soaked in 350 years of urban waste, if they're aiming for "ordinary conditions".

Let's be realistic

[Tuxinatorium]

The bacteria would give you all kinds of false positives by eating other common organic compounds. The current chemistry-based detection techniques are already better and more reliable than that would be after a ton of painstaking genetic engineering.

How long do you think it'll take...

[almightyjustin]

Before they come out with a microbe-powered laptop? Think about it...running low on juice? Just jam something worthless and organic into a big chute in the back! Finally, a use for those complimentary pretzels on airplanes! Or that yappy little dog your neighbor has! >:D

Re:Dilbert

[Tessera]

Yeah, they just plug their laptops into the ground and they're on their way. The only problem is that they would all start to feel a strange tingling sensation in the lower half or their body...from the electricity running through the mud....

Power on Mars?

[Dancing Tree]

I'm wondering if these bacteria, who rather than oxidizing are ferrosizing(?), could have any relation to the organisms they found living by undersea volcanic vents. These are anaerobic bacteria which some scientists think might be able to live on Mars (if their kin aren't already there). So, what if a Mars probe took some of these "geobacters" with it and used them to supplement it's solar cells. Might prove interesting and useful. Of course, then they take over and a thousand years later the new Martians send their bacteria to Earth. b-)

Try it yourself

[DaoudaW]

The principal investigator in this study, Derek Lovley [umass.edu] was on NPR's Talk of the Nation Science Friday [npr.org] (Real Audio) [npr.org]. He really encouraged people try microbial power for themselves. He admitted that it was a bit of a trick to keep everything properly insulated in the wet environment, but offered to give tips to those who contact [mailto] him.