Tag Archives: Electrically

Newly Discovered Species of Electrically Conductive Bacteria

Posted on by
Reply

Electrically conductive cable bacteria are a group of multicellular prokaryotes enabling electron transfer across centimeter-scale distances in both marine and freshwater sediments. Biologists have successfully isolated and characterized new species of cable bacteria from the Mudflat at the intertidal estuary mouth in Yaquina Bay, Oregon, USA.

Microscopic investigation of cable bacteria Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensis, yb6 strain. Image credit: Hiral et al., doi: 10.1128/aem.02502-24.

“Cable bacteria are filamentous prokaryotes that engage in electrosulfide oxidation in the upper layers of aquatic sediments,” states Dr. Chen Lee, a postdoctoral researcher at Oregon State University, along with her team.

“Their electrogenetic metabolism features a unique division among cells in multicellular filaments, facilitating the migration of electrons from deeper sediment layers to the surface, where sulfide oxidation occurs.

“This long-range electron transport is enabled by a specialized network of conductive fibers, which run in parallel ridges from one end of the filament to the other.”

“These fibers connect through conductive contoured structures at the cell interfaces, ensuring redundancy within the electrical network.”

The new species is referred to as Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensis, isolated from the mudflat of Yaquina Bay, Oregon.

“This new species represents a bridge and appears to be an early branch of the Ca. Electrothrix clades, suggesting it offers new insights into the evolution and functionality of these bacteria across various environments,” remarks Dr. Li.

“It differentiates itself from other known cable bacterial species through its significant metabolic potential and distinctive structural traits, including surface ridges that are three times more pronounced than those in other species.

“These bacteria have the capacity to transport electrons for environmental cleanup, potentially aiding in the removal of harmful substances from sediments.”

“Moreover, the highly conductive nickel proteins they produce can lead to advancements in bioelectronics.”

Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensis derives its name from the Jacona people, whose ancestral lands span the Bay of Yaquina.

“Following the tribe’s recognition of its historical connection to the land, it has honored these ecologically significant bacteria and acknowledged their ongoing contributions to sustainability and ecological wisdom,” said Dr. Li.

The team’s study was published this week in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

____

Anwar Hyalal et al. A new cable bacterial species with distinct morphology and genomic potential. Appl Environ Microbiol Published online on April 22, 2025. doi:10.1128/aem.02502-24

Source: www.sci.news

Electrically Stimulating the Brain Makes Hypnotism More Accessible

Posted on by
Reply

Hypnosis may involve a therapist bringing a patient into a deeply relaxed state to treat symptoms or change habits.

Voisin/Fanny/Science Photo Library

Sending electrical pulses to certain parts of the brain can make people more susceptible to hypnosis. Although the research is still in its early stages, it could eventually lead to more widespread use of hypnotherapy for conditions such as chronic pain.

“There are a lot of different ways to treat different disorders and symptoms, both in psychology and psychiatry,” he says. Afik Furman at Stanford University in California. “Hypnosis is one psychological technique that has been proven to be effective for anxiety, depression, and especially pain.”

Previous research suggests that People who are highly susceptible to hypnosis have better connections between the two parts of their brains. Left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex.They also suggest that Stimulating the former area strengthens this connection.

Faerman and colleagues focused on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, located at the front of the brain, and administered transcranial magnetic stimulation to 40 people with the chronic pain condition fibromyalgia. This was administered as 800 pulses to the scalp via a paddle, and the procedure lasted just over 1.5 minutes. This method uses a magnetic field to stimulate nerve cells in the target tissue.

Another 40 people with the same symptoms were given the sham treatment. At the start of the study, none of the participants were thought to be susceptible to hypnosis.

Hypnotherapy is generally defined as the use of hypnosis to treat symptoms or change habits. Susceptibility to hypnosis was assessed by the “hypnoinduction profile,” a standard method for measuring hypnotic efficacy.

After just one session, the group that received electrical brain stimulation had increased hypnotic susceptibility for up to an hour, while the other groups showed no change.

The researchers did not measure whether fibromyalgia symptoms improved in either group. “Our main goal was to figure out whether it was possible to alter the hypnotic state, so we were really excited to be able to do that,” say team members. nolan williams at Stanford University.

Researchers now hope to repeat the study with more people with more diverse symptoms. They also want to see whether fine-tuning the length or number of electrical stimulation pulses a person receives affects hypnotic susceptibility.

Despite showing some promise as a medical use, hypnotherapy is not routinely covered by health insurance companies in the United States or the National Health Service in the United Kingdom.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com