The researchers found that some bacteria use naturally occurring compounds called naphthoquinones to transfer electrons to external surfaces. This process, known as extracellular respiration, mimics ...

Lab experiments backed this up. When placed on conductive surfaces, the bacteria kept growing and producing electricity, as if they were breathing through the material itself. "This newly discovered ...

Electric respiration explained Most modern organisms rely on oxygen to metabolize food and release energy. Oxygen serves as the final electron acceptor in a chain of reactions that produces energy.