From: Ray Dickenson <r.dickenson.nul>
Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2007 12:38:33 +0100
Archived: Tue, 25 Sep 2007 07:48:04 -0400
Subject: Smelly Stuff


Hello List,

http://www.physorg.com/news109516920.html

[Quote Begins]

A German-American research team of biologists and geochemists
has discovered hitherto unknown anaerobic bacteria in marine
sediments which need only propane or butane for growth, as
reported by the scientific journal Nature in its current online
issue.

Heinz Wilkes, a leading biogeochemist at GeoForschungsZentrum
Potsdam (GFZ), points out: "The bacteria isolated here for the
first time from marine sediments use sulphate instead of oxygen
for respiration and utilize propane and butane as their sole
source of carbon and energy. These organisms are tough
specialists that have become adapted to strictly utilising only
these and no other substrates."

[Quote Ends]

I'm told that when sulfate is 'breathed' instead of oxygen the
output is not carbon dioxide but a mixture of sulfides, like the
really smelly hydrogen sulfide.

Maybe we're nearer to a 'rational' explanation for all those
sulfurous smells associated with close encounters?

Some work has been done already - see

http://www.nidsci.org/pdf/rullan.pdf

Odors from UFOs

Deducing Odorant Chemistry and Causation from Available Data

A.F. Rullan, July 2000.


Cheers

Ray D


Listen to 'Strange Days... Indeed' - The PodCast

See:

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