A group of German scientists discovered a curious type of bacterium at the bottom of the ocean and which turns out to be very interesting because it could have a metabolism very different from anything we have known so far.
This bacterium, known as Acetobacterium woodii, also lives in the intestines of termites and can create and use hydrogen and carbon dioxide to produce energy on its own, even without the need for oxygen.
The ability to survive on both organic and inorganic substances without oxygen makes this bacterium unique among microorganisms, and although scientists suspect something like this exists, it has never been clearly described among acetogenic bacteria, which produce oxygen-free methane.
“A. woodii has a maximum of metabolic flexibility. In one cycle, you can create and use hydrogen, or use hydrogen from external sources”, said molecular microbiologist Anja Wiechmann, co-author of the study.
The experts also explain that the point is that excess hydrogen inhibits the fermentation process, and even the weakest hydrothermal vents easily exceed the levels necessary to harbor fermentative bacteria.
The study was published in The ISME Journal.
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