At https://phys.org/news/2023-05-experimental-microbes-powered-electricity.html … we’ve heard about this sort of thing at Electric Universe talks, and videos, all very cutting edge and speculative. Now we seem to have a mainstream research paper saying microbes are powered by electricity. In microbial electro synthesis, micro-organisms seem to use co2 and electricity to produce alcohol. How it works was previously unknown – although plenty of people came up with ideas. This research seeks to establish their point of view and it will be interesting to see if it becomes at all commercial in operation.
The Leibnitz Institute say their research effort has confirmed, experimentally, that bacteria can use electrons from hydrogen to produce chemical substances. The downside is that the research is driven by the Green Blob and the idea is to produce ethanol more easily as well as organic compounds which could perhaps be used as a fuel substitute. One idea is to store excess electricity.
At https://phys.org/news/2023-05-phenomenal-phytoplankton-scientists-uncover-cellular.html … and once again it sounds like an exciting breakthrough. A newly identified cellular mechanism is said to promote photosynthesis in marine phytoplanktons, and generating a considerabe amount of oxygen. These mircroscopice organisms drift in the aquatic environment – such as the oceans. They are able to photosynthesize.The tiny ocean algae form the base of the aquatic food web and are said to be capable of producing 50 per cent of oxygen on earth. The first group, above, are diatoms – single celled algae. The enzyme involved is found in all forms of life, from humans to single cell algae. It’s role in life is to modify the PH level of the surrounding environment. In humans the enzyme aids the kidneys in regulating blood and urine functions – but depends on what other proteins they are paired with. They seem to do all manner of other things. Giant clams use the enzyme to dissolve coral reefs, in order to bore holes in them to hide in. Corals use the enzyme to promote photosynthesis by symbiotic algae. Deep sea worms use it to dissolve mammal bones, such as those of whales, in order to consume them. In fish eyes the protein pump delivers oxygen to enhance vision, and so on. It was discovered the enzyme, and the protein of interest, was fundamental to the process of photosynthesis – by delivering more carbon dioxide that is used to produce more carbon molecules, such as sugars. The oxygen production is thought to be secondary. The researchers were not primarily interested in that aspect. The research seems to be more interested in what this means for evolution, as well as commercialsed biodiesel production and carbon sequestration. It seems that even the Green Blob can inadvertently lead to research that has implications far and wide, and not just in their narrow bubble.