The new bacteria tell us that life can be weirder than we can imagine.

"Rice scientists found bacteria that breathe by releasing electricity, revealing a natural process with major clean tech potential. (Artist’s concept.) Credit: SciTechDaily.com" (ScitechDaily, Scientists Discover Bizarre Bacteria That “Breathe” Electricity Instead of Air)

If we want to find alien life, we don't need to search for it from another planet. We can find bizarre creatures on our planet. The electricity-breathing bacteria is a good example of that thing. 

Bacteria that breathe electricity instead of air can make new biosensors possible. Those bacteria push electrons into their surroundings. This allows them to eliminate the need for oxygen. This kind of bacteria can turn anaerobic environments and processes more effective. That kind of bacteria can keep those ecosystems in balance. That makes those bacteria very effective tools in bio- and nanotechnology. 

But it can also help to make models. About another planet's possible biospheres. The bacteria that don't need free oxygen are possible. There is lots of oxygen in the water. That means that bacteria must only break water molecules in their cell organelles so that they can live in water worlds. The thing is that those kinds of lifeforms can exist. 

"Possible signs of life on a distant planet? Not so fast. New research shows the signal might just be ordinary molecules, not alien biology. Credit: SciTechDaily.com" (ScitechDaily, Is It Alien Life – or Just Ethane? Scientists Reassess Webb Telescope Discovery)

"This artist’s impression shows what the faraway planet K2-18b, its host star and an accompanying planet in this system might look like. A new University of Chicago analysis has cast doubt on an earlier finding that concluded data showed evidence for life on the planet. Credit: ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser" (ScitechDaily, Is It Alien Life – or Just Ethane? Scientists Reassess Webb Telescope Discovery). 

The problem with that thing is distance. That means that life on that planet remains open. And we can discuss that thing endlessly. There was a little bit of ethane and dimethyl phosphine in the spectral analysis. Chemists can produce those compounds in the laboratory but they are also formed in biological processes. 

That means they might be far from things that we used to think or see. When we think about planets that are more than hundreds of light years away from Earth. We cannot be sure if there are some life forms. Before we visit that planet. The JWST telescope's new observations are things that cause discussions and divide opinions. The new observations tell us that those molecules can be just ethane, not biological processes. And then again, what were they before? 

There was ethane on some exoplanet (K2-18b) and that's it. Confirming those alien creatures' existence or non-existence requires far more advanced methods than even the JWST telescope can give. The JWST is an impressive tool. But it cannot find bacteria over hundreds of light years. On earth, ethane forms in biological processes. But it's possible to create that compound in the laboratory. 

The sign of dimethyl sulfide was much weaker than the ethane. But the main question is, why is that signal so weak? Did light travel through something that we cannot see? There are many things and a great distance between K2-18b and Earth. That means the measurements are difficult. Distance to that object is 124 ly. That means we see things that happened 124 years ago. And the primitive lifeforms are always hard to detect. 

But when we think about the bacteria that replace air using electricity. We face an interesting possibility. There is the possibility that somewhere on some other planet live organisms that use electricity to produce oxygen from their environment using electric processes. Theoretically bacteria or, why not, more complicated lifeforms can produce oxygen by using electric processes. The bacteria must have the ability to break water molecules in their cell organelles. That can happen by using electrolysis. 

Those kinds of organisms are not living on Earth. But maybe those things can live in some planet's atmosphere if there is enough water vapor. Those electric-eat bacteria should be investigated more because they could explain why some people are so tired. If that kind of bacteria is near the nervous system, it can make low voltage or disturb electric signals in the nervous channel or axons.

https://scitechdaily.com/is-it-alien-life-or-just-ethane-scientists-reassess-webb-telescope-discovery/

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-discover-bizarre-bacteria-that-breathe-electricity-instead-of-air/