Two species of bacteria left telltale manganese metal pebbles in a dirty lab jar left to soak
Scientists have discovered the first bacteria known to use the metal manganese to grow. And the researchers had to look only as far as the office sink.“It’s definitely an interesting story about serendipity,” says Jared Leadbetter, an environmental microbiologist at Caltech. Leadbetter had been working with a pink compound called manganese carbonate in a glass jar. After having trouble cleaning the jar, he filled it with tap water and left it to soak. When he returned 10 weeks later, after an out-of-town teaching stint, the contents of the jar had transformed into a dark, crusty material.
Leadbetter knew that scientists had long suspected that bacteria could use manganese to fuel growth. Over a century ago, researchers discovered that bacteria could borrow electrons from chemical elements like nitrogen, sulfur, iron — and manganese. In some cases, bacteria could even use these electrons to fuel growth in much the same way that humans use electrons from carbohydrates in the diet for energy. But no one had identified bacteria that could turn electrons from manganese into energy.
