Scientists have discovered a new type of bacteria by accident that could potentially eat metal. They have alleged that this bacteria has been existing for over 100 years but it has never been proven to eat metal until now. This has been accidentally discovered by the Caltech University’s microbiologists after performing experiments using the bacteria in a chalk-like Manganese.
Dr. Jared Leadbetter, professor of environmental microbiology at Caltech in Pasadena, left a glass jar covered with the substance to soak in tap water in his office sink and left the vessel for several months when he went to work off-campus. When he returned, Leadbetter found the jar coated with dark material. “I thought, ‘What is that?’ ” Leadbetter explained in a press release. “I started to wonder if long-sought-after microbes might be responsible, so we systematically performed tests to figure that out.”
This dark coating has found to be oxidized Manganese which had been generated by this new bacteria. This is said to be found in freshwater aquifers and groundwater. The bacteria can use manganese for a process called chemosynthesis, which converts carbon dioxide into biomass. Scientists believe the findings will help them better understand groundwater, and water systems which can become clogged by manganese oxides.
Source: CNN