Strange Bacteria Sustains Itself Without Sunlight

Hahnsoo writes "A colony of bacteria found 2.8 kilometers below the Earth's surface in a South African gold mine is able to sustain itself without energy from the Sun. While sub-surface colonies of microorganisms utilizing sulfur (mostly near deep sea hydrothermal vents) is not new, this particular colony is unusual. The colony does it by relying on radioactive uranium to split water into hydrogen gas. Thus, instead of solar energy and photosynthesis, this species relies on radioactive materials and sulfur/hydrogen to facilitate its energy needs. There is some speculation about life on other planets in the article as well."

Comments

Re:Simple Nuclear Chemistry Lesson

[Viol8]

>Nuclear power, even with the downside of producing harmful radiation (which is almost totally controllable, incidentally), is already very useful.

Try telling that to the knee jerk hippies who always protest against it. Even with the thread of global warming and uncontrolled CO2 production , they'd still risk everything just to avoid a small amount of extra radiation getting into the enviroment, as if it makes much difference. Even chernobyl has had scant effect on its surrounding enviroments , but of course you never hear Greenpeace mention that awkward fact since it doesn't square with their anti nuclear no matter what, fossilised 1960s dogma.

Submitter got his science wrong

[denelson83]

You don't split water into hydrogen gas. You split water into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas.