December 2020, ScientificAmerican.com 17cytochromes. Lovley is firmly in the pili camp:
he says that when his team (which at the time
included Malvankar) genetically modified
Geobacter so it could not produce a certain
type of cytochrome, it formed biofilms that
were actually more conductive than those
produced by unmodified bacteria. Glaven says
her own lab found that electricity moves in a
Geobacter biofilm “over whelmingly” through
cytochromes. But she notes that yet another
lab, at Michigan State University, is doing
work based on Lovley’s pili hypothesis.
Based on his most recent research, Mal-
vankar favors cytochromes—but he has not
ruled out a role for pili. “All the filaments we
found [when bacteria were actively conduct-
ing electricity] were cytochromes,” he says.
“But is it possible that maybe under some con-
ditions, it could be making pili? That’s actually
an open question.”
The drive to figure out Geobacter’ s conduc-
tive proteins could help researchers develop
more efficient living electronics. And even
without complete knowledge of conductive
microbes’ mysteries, bacteria-based electronic
devices may soon be possible. It is still early,
Lovley says, “but so far everything’s been
working out. I’ve had amazing colleagues who
just know how to do things with electronic
materials. Every couple of weeks they come
up with something new.” — Sophie Bushwickinteract with the laser light keeping it in place.
This interaction heats up the molecules, caus-
ing some to lose their ultracold status.
Knowing about this interaction, physicists
can now avoid types of lasers that excite the
complex. And the ability to see the light-com-
plex interaction is itself promising. Nandini
Mukherjee, a Stanford University chemist,
who was not involved in the study, says prob-
ing the complex is a “long-sought goal in
studying reaction mechanisms.”
Liu says the team wants to use laser light
to fully control such reactions, and co-lead
author Ming-Guang Hu (also at Harvard)
adds that this process could eventually illumi-
nate how the rules of quantum mechanics
make ultracold molecular reactions different
from those at room temperature. Having
solved a mystery that has long troubled
quantum physicists, they now want to explain
a lot more about quantum chemistry.
— Karmela Padavic-Callaghan© 2020 Scientific American © 2020 Scientific American
cytochromes. Lovley is firmly in the pili camp:
he says that when his team (which at the time
included Malvankar) genetically modified
Geobacter so it could not produce a certain
type of cytochrome, it formed biofilms that
were actually more conductive than those
produced by unmodified bacteria. Glaven says
her own lab found that electricity moves in a
Geobacter biofilm “overwhelmingly” through
cy tochromes. But she notes that yet another
lab, at Michigan State University, is doing
work based on Lovley’s pili hypothesis.
Based on his most recent research, Mal-
vankar favors cy tochromes—but he has not
ruled out a role for pili. “All the filaments we
found [when bacteria were actively conduct-
ing electricity] were cytochromes,” he says.
“But is it possible that maybe under some con-
ditions, it could be making pili? That’s actually
an open question.”
The drive to figure out Geobacter’ s conduc-
tive proteins could help researchers develop
more efficient living electronics. And even
without complete knowledge of conductive
microbes’ mysteries, bacteria-based electronic
devices may soon be possible. It is still early,
Lovley says, “but so far ever y thing’s been
working out. I’ve had amazing colleagues who
just know how to do things with electronic
materials. Ever y couple of weeks they come
up with something new.” — Sophie Bushwickinteract with the laser light keeping it in place.
This interaction heats up the molecules, caus-
ing some to lose their ultracold status.
Knowing about this interaction, physicists
can now avoid types of lasers that excite the
complex. And the ability to see the light-com-
plex interaction is itself promising. Nandini
Mukherjee, a Stanford University chemist,
who was not involved in the study, says prob-
ing the complex is a “long-sought goal in
studying reaction mechanisms.”
Liu says the team wants to use laser light
to fully control such reactions, and co-lead
author Ming-Guang Hu (also at Harvard)
adds that this process could eventually illumi-
nate how the rules of quantum mechanics
make ultracold molecular reactions different
from those at room temperature. Having
solved a mystery that has long troubled
quantum physicists, they now want to explain
a lot more about quantum chemistry.
— Karmela Padavic-Callaghansad1220Adva3p.indd 17 10/21/20 5:19 PMOceaniaNor thern America
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