Bacteria that have hairlike structures called pili usually use them to attach to objects and to move around. However, new findings suggest that pili on a group of species known as Geobacter play a different role: They act as nanowires that conduct electricity.
Geobacter has gained fame over the past several years as a promising treatment for radioactive pollution. By adding electrons to a toxic metal, such as uranium, the bacterium precipitates it out of wastewater.
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