Magnetic bacteria point the way

Science Daily  June 27, 2023 Magnetotactic bacteria contain magnetosomes, iron crystals wrapped in a membrane, which arrange themselves to align with the Earth’s magnetic field, causing the bacteria to travel in the direction of Earth’s magnetic field lines leading north or south. Magnetosome-producing microorganisms can sense and move toward the redox gradient. Researchers in Japan collected a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney. The mineralogical and geochemical characterization of the vent chimney sample showed an internal iron redox gradient. The electron microscopy of particles collected from the chimney sample revealed magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) cells with bullet-shaped magnetosomes, and there were minor occurrences […]