Scientists Discover Bacteria That Breathes Electricity — A Game-Changer for Green Energy

E. coli Uses Electricity to Breathe: Breakthrough Discovery Explained

In theory, the difference between a man-made machine and biology is pretty clear. Our inventions mostly run on electricity, while life, from bacteria to humans, runs on chemical reactions. However, it could be that the difference is not as clear-cut as we previously assumed.

Researchers at Rice University, University of California, and Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability have discovered that a bacteria common in our guts is using electricity to “breathe”, instead of using oxygen, in a process called extracellular respiration.

“Our research not only solves a long-standing scientific mystery, but it also points to a new and potentially widespread survival strategy in nature.”

Ajo-Franklin – Professor of Biosciences

This could have applications beyond biological research, as the process mimics how batteries discharge electric current.

Their findings were published in the prestigious scientific journal Cell¹, under the title “Extracellular respiration is a latent energy metabolism in Escherichia coli”.

Understanding Respiration and Electron Transfer in Microbes

At its core, respiration is an electrical process, or more precisely, an electrochemical one. It takes energetic molecules and transfers electrons along a complex protein chain until it transforms oxygen into water, by adding to it hydrogen ion (H+) and electron (e-).

But nothing forces this process to exclusively use oxygen. For example, it is what is happening during fermentation, but it is a lot less efficient process than respiration (oxidation reaction) due to no final oxidation occurring.

In theory, any final acceptor of electrons can work for respiration, and be similar to oxygen-based respiration, although in practice, it is far from simple.

How E. coli Replaces Oxygen Using Extracellular Respiration

This is exactly what the researchers discovered. The bacterium Escherichia coli can use compounds called naphthoquinones to transfer electrons to external surfaces.

Source: Cell

This extracellular respiration process was known for many years, but this is the first time that the way it works has been explained.

“This newly discovered mechanism of respiration is a simple and ingenious way to get the job done.

Naphthoquinones act like molecular couriers, carrying electrons out of the cell so the bacteria can break down food and generate energy.”

Biki Bapi Kundu – a Rice doctoral student

So instead of breathing oxygen, the bacteria can “breathe” through the oxidation of surrounding materials by making them accept the surplus electrons.

This suggests that besides normal respiration and fermentation, this is a third method for bacteria to process food and generate energy.

Electrode-Based Experiments Confirm Bacterial Electricity Use

Using computer modeling, the simulations revealed that bacteria could sustain themselves by discharging electrons externally.

The researchers then tried to cultivate the bacteria on an area rich in conductive surface, like an electrode able to receive the electrons transferred by the naphthoquinones.

Source: Cell

Further laboratory tests confirmed that bacteria placed on conductive materials continued to grow and generate electricity, effectively breathing through the surface. The bacteria also underwent a massive change in their metabolic function and genetic expression as they switched to extracellular respiration.

Applications of Bacterial Electricity in Clean Tech and Biotech

Electrons driving chemical reactions and oxidation are the basis of some of the most important chemical reactions, including many that are of prime interest for clean technologies.

Notably, the fixation of carbon dioxide could be helped by this process, with techniques leveraging bacteria like E. coli instead of plants to capture the carbon.

“Our work lays the foundation for harnessing carbon dioxide through renewable electricity, where bacteria function similarly to plants with sunlight in photosynthesis.

It opens the door to building smarter, more sustainable technologies with biology at the core.”

Ajo-Franklin – Professor of Biosciences

Biotechnology processes such as wastewater treatment and biomanufacturing could be significantly improved through better management of electron imbalances. Electricity-exhaling bacteria could be added to these operations and fix these imbalances to keep the systems running efficiently.

Another potential application could be bioelectronic sensors in oxygen-deprived environments, using this electron transfer method to replace the oxygen. This could be useful for new tools for medical diagnostics, pollution monitoring, and deep-space exploration.

Future of Bioelectricity: What This Means for Biotechnology

Still, very little is understood about the complex biochemical capacities of microbes, even bacteria, as studied and “understood” as E. coli, a common lab model for microbiologists.

This opens up interesting ideas about how new discoveries around electrobiology could be used to design better solutions for batteries, sensors, pollution management, biomanufacturing, etc.

Most likely, it could be done by artificially replicating the process used by E. coli and finally explained today.

In that context, artificial proteins or similar molecules could perform the electron transfer in a controlled and predictable way.

Investing in Synthetic Biology

Ginkgo Bioworks

The company is producing on-demand organisms for specific applications, including biomedical applications and industrial and material sciences programs.

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Ginkgo Bioworks has diversified its applications widely with many research programs and partnerships:

It makes money by being first paid upfront for the development process and then through royalties on the finished product.

Gingko’s partnerships are constantly expanding, with:

Ginkgo Bioworks also partners with all the major agricultural corporations, most of which have some interests in biofuel production and microbiology.  A few of these include Bayer, Cargill, Syngenta, Corteva, ADM, Exacta, and more.

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(You can also read more details about Gingkgo Bioworks in the dedicated investment report about the company)

Gingko Bioworks Stock News and Latest Developments

Study Reference:

1. ^{Biki Bapi Kundu, et al.(2025) Extracellular respiration is a latent energy metabolism in Escherichia coli. Cell. 10 April 2025. https://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(25)00289-2}