Methanobrevibacter smithii was:Athmospherics

Posted by Steve Smith on Jun 12, 2012; 7:27pm
URL: http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/atmospherics-tp7580159p7580167.html

I hate following references to any encyclopaedia... even (especially?!) Wikipedia...

The rabbit hole to be found there is an infinite labyrinth (maze?) with bits of cheese to keep me going at every turn!

I learn something new everytime...   Who knew Archaea?  Really?  I was still in school in 1977 when this distinction was made (apparently).  I forgive myself for still thinking of "Kingdoms" rather than "Domains" but how did I miss this one?  My daughter is a PhD in BioMedicine and we talk all the time!  But she *is* a virologist and "her" viruses (HPV, West Nile, Dingue) prey on Eu not Pro Caryota!

And then there is the thing about converting both Hydrogen *and* CO2 to methane?  I haven't tracked down (and really shouldn't I have other projects!) where the H2 and CO2 come from in digestion for Meth Smithii to refactor...  and then *what* does the body do with methane in the gut (besides expel it one end or the other?) 

Ok... back down the rabbit hole!

I'm presuming that Hydrogen production is a byproduct of the very same bacterium?  Or perhaps it is a different one.  I suppose it is also possible that "biogas" production en vitro suffers from the difficulty of *containing* hydrogen and perhaps that direct, immediate use of "biogas" benefits from high H concentrations with the methane?

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