OMG! Earth Mimics “Pandora”, the “Green” Planet in Avatar!!

It appears that the network that linked all the elements of the biosphere on Pandora in the movie Avatar, may not be merely a sci-fi concept. There possibly maybe a parallel for it here on earth, an interconnected ecosystem that acts as one superorganism!

Where is it found on earth?

Amongst sulphur-eating bacteria living under the muddy sediments beneath the sea floor.

In Pandora, it was called the tree of souls. Here on earth, it’s referred to as a network of microbial nanowires. Or put differently, it’s also called electrical symbiosis!

The significance?

Is that no such phenomenon has been observed in nature ever before! This network comprises of fine protein filaments that can move electrons back and forth. And this allows the numerous communities of bacteria living in that harsh environment beneath the sea floor to communicate with each other and basically act as one superorganism.

No one had even suspected of something like this before! This completely changes our way of viewing what these simple organisms are capable of.

So how was this amazing discovery made?

To understand this we need to realize one more thing.

Marine bacteria usually depend on sulphur as their source of energy. This sulphur comes from the gas hydrogen sulphide, which is common in ocean sediments. To break down this gas they need access to O₂ in sea water. This would carry away the electrons as sulphide is broken down.

In the experiments, samples of bacteria-containing sediments from the sea floor were used. In the lab the O₂ from sea water above the samples was first removed and then replaced. The surprise came when from measurements it was revealed that bacteria several layers below the surface had started breaking down the hydrogen sulphide gas long before the O₂ that was reintroduced had diffused down to them.

This is possible…

Only if the bacteria were communicating with each other through a network of conductive protein wires.

Although nanowires have been developed and exploited in the lab before this is the first time they have been spotted in natural sediment! And as for what this discovery means for the future of green technology… only time will tell.

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