SS

A new step towards the use of hydrogen biocatalysts more

A specialized enzyme machinery enables methanogenic microorganisms to thrive under extreme energy limitation more

How methanogens are able to render oxygen molecules harmless more

Hydrogenase enzymes catalyze production and utilization of hydrogen gas, which is considered as a future energy carrier. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg and a collaborator at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysics discovered that [Fe]-hydrogenase is protected by conformational change of the protein. This finding is crucial for future application of hydrogenases and for understanding the catalytic mechanism of this enzyme. more

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and at the same time an important renewable energy source. The study of methane formation is, therefore, of great relevance for basic and applied science. Microbes called methanogens produce half of the methane on our planet. Most methanogens use hydrogen and CO₂ in a process called hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis to generate methane. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg together with collaborators at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt have now shown how methane generation and CO₂ fixation are connected. The work can potentially improve future attempts to reduce atmospheric methane levels as well as to generate methane as a renewable energy source. This work was recently published in the international journal Science. more