A week later, six in the morning.
White coats came and went throughout the laboratory. Ji Tianhe's team was on the left, and Lou Jinghui's team was on the right. The two teams each focused on their own work, occasionally communicating with one another.
The laboratory door suddenly opened, and a chorus of greetings rang out around the room: "Boss!"
"I came to check on your progress," Song He said.
The white coats immediately tensed up and began preparing. The laboratory descended into a brief flurry of activity as everyone got ready for the leader's inspection.
Song He walked toward the left side of the laboratory. Ji Tianhe promptly came over, led the boss to the refrigerator, operated it to show him the samples, and introduced their progress.
"We've found forty-five species of electroactive microorganisms so far. These are the most important ones!" Ji Tianhe said.
"Gram-negative bacteria generally have thinner, softer cell walls. The vast majority of the species we found are Gram-negative bacteria, so electron transfer is easier for them. We also found some unusual archaea. They're quite abnormal. Their walls are clearly thicker and harder, yet their electron transfer is smoother. We still haven't figured out why."
"We've currently discovered only two primary mechanisms of electron transfer: cytochromes and conductive nanowires."
"We inserted electrodes into the bacterial cultures for testing. Some bacteria transmit electricity by using cytochromes to contact the electrodes, while others produce structures resembling pili and use those pili to touch the electrodes and transmit electricity. The archaea may have other mechanisms as well. We're still looking..."
"Start with the proteins when it comes to the archaea." Song He opened the notes file with both hands and began typing. "I'm listing seven proteins. Pay close attention to them. The Metal Reduction Pathway can't be separated