Researchers report the isolation and culture of a strain of methane-oxidizing soil bacteria capable of growing in air and oxidizing methane at atmospheric methane concentrations for use as a carbon and energy source; the strain was also capable of metabolizing CO2, N2, O2, CO, and H2, suggesting a degree of metabolic flexibility that enabled the strain to survive on air alone.
###
Article #18-17812: "Widespread soil bacterium that oxidizes atmospheric methane," by Alexander T. Tveit et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Mette Marianne Svenning, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, NORWAY; tel: +47-91740426; e-mail: < mette.svenning@uit.no >; Alexander T. Tveit, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, NORWAY; tel: +47-99279186; e-mail: < alexander.t.tveit@uit.no >
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences