Microbes in the deep can thrive on natural gas such as butane, even without oxygen. This is not only fascinating but also biotechnologically exciting.Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen and colleagues from the Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung (UFZ) in Leipzig discovered microbial communities thriving on the hydrocarbon butane without the help of molecular oxygen. The microbial consortia, obtained from hydrothermally heated sediments in Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California, use unprecedented biochemistry to feed on butane. Their results were published on the journal Nature in 2016.


https://www.nature.com/articles/natur...