Elemental sulfur reduction is a key process in anaerobic ecosystems and the global sulfur cycle. Although elemental sulfur serves as a terminal electron acceptor in microbial respiration, the molecula...

As key players in anoxic environments, methanogenic archaea account for the vast majority of biogenic methane emissions and play important roles during organic matter mineralization. Growing evidence indicates potential for broader ecological roles beyond methanogenesis. This review summarizes the physiology of biogeochemically relevant transformations of iron minerals, humic acid, biochar, and toxic heavy metals/metalloids. We examine how methanogenic archaea couple carbon cycling with other element cycles through methanogenic pathways and electron transfer processes. We also discuss known and potential molecular mechanisms that underlie these interactions. Furthermore, we highlight the discovery of the reversal of methanogenesis driven by extracellular electron transfer and its potential for methane bioconversion technologies. This work underscores the physiological versatility of methanogenic archaea, suggesting their diverse roles in biogeochemical cycles.

Microorganisms have historically been classified as obligate aerobes or anaerobes, facultative anaerobes, or microaerophiles, reflecting differences in respiratory strategies dictated by the use of ox...

Nature Communications - Southern Ocean microbial communities are less well studied. Here, the authors generate a circumpolar-scale gene catalog from 218 metagenomics samples revealing broadscale...

HORBEC are protein complexes involved in the regulation of redox balance and energy conservation. The authors develop a bioinformatic tool for HORBEC annotation in bacterial and archaeal genomes and r...

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Researchers have discovered that chemical reactions in underwater hydrothermal vents could have produced the necessary ingredients for life on Earth.

Without key cell cycle control genes, SAR11 cells experience aneuploidy and growth inhibition when exposed to changes in nutrients, carbon sources or temperature stress, a vulnerability that may repre...

The adaptation of Korarchaeota across changing habitats tracks their coevolution with Earth throughout its dynamic history.

Long-read sequence assemblies from metagenomes contain frequent errors.

The cultivation of a group of methanogens illuminates their metabolic diversity and the evolution of archaea.

Computational microbiologist. Senior scientist at @cemess.bsky.social, @univie.ac.at. Microbial ecology, mostly of nitrogen cycle microbes, and data driven physiology. Maintainer of the GlobDB geno...

Genomic and biochemical analyses of prokaryotic sulfur metabolism identify diverse microorganisms with the capacity to oxidize sulfide using iron(iii).

Microbiologists uncover bacteria that remove toxic sulfide and use iron minerals for growth

Microbial communities in the deep biosphere underpin global biogeochemical cycles, yet their evolutionary responses to extensive anthropogenic disturbances remain unclear. Uranium in-situ leaching (IS...

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Background In 2018, the island of Mayotte located in the western Indian ocean, has experienced a seismo-volcanic crisis linked to the birth of an impressive intraplate submarine volcano at the east of...