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Friday Science Motivation: All terrestrial life on Earth depends on a microbial community that lives in bedrock, eats granite and turns it into soil. While plant roots & water can *crack* bedrock, only these microbial specialists can fully decompose it into released minerals. (📷:michal812)
  • happybadger [he/him]
    ·
    3 months ago

    Some iron-reducing bacteria have proteins on their surface that can directly STRIP ELECTRONS from iron-containing minerals, using those electrons to fuel their metabolic systems.

    Along the way, they oxidize the surface of the rock into weakened mineral structures that decay more rapidly.

    wot in tarnation. Dietary electrophiles?