Researchers from Oregon State University (OSU) have unveiled a novel “electricity-conducting organism” that could spark medical and environmental innovations.

According to the new study, published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, the OSU team has named the organism — a new species of cable bacteria — Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensis, in honor of the Yaqona people, whose ancestral land the new bacteria were found in. 

The research team hopes that the new discovery could help develop improved biomedical devices as well as new ways to improve food safety and environmental cleanup. 

An Electric Bacteria 

Cable bacteria are known for their electric properties, a rare feat among bacteria. They have rod-shaped cells that connect end to end with a shared membrane, which form filaments that can sometimes reach a few centimeters long. Their electric conductivity helps their metabolic processes within the sediment environments they live in. 

The research team, consisting of Cheng Li, who, at the time, was a postdoctoral researcher at Oregon State University, and Clare Reimers, distinguished professor emerita in the OSU College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, among others, discovered Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensis in sediment in the Yaquina Bay estuary. After analyzing the bacteria, they realized there was something different about it compared to other cable bacteria. 

“This new species seems to be a bridge, an early branch within the Ca. Electrothrix clade, which suggests it could provide new insights into how these bacteria evolved and how they might function in different environments,” said Li, in a press release. 

“It stands out from all other described cable bacteria species in terms of its metabolic potential, and it has distinctive structural features, including pronounced surface ridges, up to three times wider than those seen in other species, that house highly conductive fibers made of unique, nickel-based molecules,” Li continued in the release. 

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Bacterial Cleanup 

Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensis is able to help with reduction-oxidation reactions, especially over greater distances, making it a vital part of the nutrients and geochemistry of the sediment it’s in. 

“These bacteria can transfer electrons to clean up pollutants, so they could be used to remove harmful substances from sediments,” Li said in a press release. “Also, their design of a highly conductive nickel protein can possibly inspire new bioelectronics.”

A Strong Connection With the Land 

The research team named this vital bacteria after the Yaqona people to honor them and their ancestral land, which includes Yaquina Bay. According to the press release, the descendants of the Yaqona people are part of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. Together, they helped the team come up with the name for this new species of bacteria. 

“Naming an ecologically important bacterium after a Tribe recognizes its historical bond with the land and acknowledges its enduring contributions to ecological knowledge and sustainability,” Li said in the press release.

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A graduate of UW-Whitewater, Monica Cull wrote for several organizations, including one that focused on bees and the natural world, before coming to Discover Magazine. Her current work also appears on her travel blog and Common State Magazine. Her love of science came from watching PBS shows as a kid with her mom and spending too much time binging Doctor Who.