Researchers discover how bacteria can immobilize uranium
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - 09:30
in Biology & Nature
(PhysOrg.com) -- For several years, researchers have known that certain kinds of bacteria are able to "feed" off certain metals by either adding or removing electrons from their structure, but until now, havent really understood how they do it. Now, new research by Gemma Reguera and her team at Michigan State University have shown that the bacteria do so by means of protein nanowires, called pili, which are hair-like appendages with electrical conductivity. They have reported their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.