New scientist article

[alitalf]

Nuclear powered bacteria have been found in a goldmine. Analysis shows that they get their energy from the radioactive decay of uranium in the surrounding rocks. It extracts carbon from dissolved carbon dioxide and fixes nitrogen, which comes from the surrounding rocks.

Comments

[emperor]

"nuclear-powered" is a little misleading. They are sustained by geologically produced sulphate and hydrogen (the latter of which comes from radioactive decay).

You can read the original research paper here

[gayalondiel.livejournal.com]

spoilsport :p

[alitalf.livejournal.com]

I could read it if I had a subscription. The New Scientist article I originally saw did not make the path of energy from radioactive decay to bacterial metabolism quite clear.

[emperor]

Sorry, it's hard to tell which papers I can read are only because I'm surfing from .ac.uk. In any case, my criticism was more aimed at the New Scientist article, not your reporting of it!