--- title: "Scientists Discover Enzyme That Can Turn Air Into Electricity" description: "Australian scientists have discovered a new bacterial enzyme that can turn air — yes, seriously — into working electricity." date: "2023-03-09" modified: "2023-03-09" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/enzyme-turn-air-into-electricity" categories: - "Energy" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "bacteria" - "battery" - "sustainable energy" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Discover Enzyme That Can Turn Air Into Electricity ![Australian scientists have discovered a new bacterial enzyme that can turn air — yes, seriously — into working electricity.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Out of Thin Air In an exciting turn for the field of sustainable energy research, Australian scientists have found a way to make energy out of thin air. Literally. As detailed in a [new study]() published this week in the journal *Nature*, researchers from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia discovered a new bacterial enzyme that transforms the traces of hydrogen in our atmosphere into electricity, technology that could one day be used in fuel cells that power anything from a smartwatch to even a car. "We've known for some time that bacteria can use the trace hydrogen in the air as a source of energy to help them grow and survive, including in Antarctic soils, volcanic craters, and the deep ocean," said Professor Chris Greening, a contributor to the study, in a [statement](). "But we didn't know how they did this," he added, "until now." ## It's Electric The enzyme, dubbed Huc, was extracted from *Mycobacterium smegmati*, a fairly common — and wildly resilient — soil bacterium. According to the study, it was discovered through a series of advanced molecular-mapping techniques. "Huc is extraordinarily efficient," said Rhys Grinter, study lead and research fellow at Monash University, in the statement. "Unlike all other known enzymes and chemical catalysts, it even consumes hydrogen below atmospheric levels — as little as 0.00005 percent of the air we breathe." The researchers used advanced microscopy techniques to first map the bacteria's internal atomic and electric structures, producing "the most resolved enzyme structure reported by this method to date," according to the statement. ## Enzyme Fuel Cell While it's unlikely to turn the sustainable energy industry on its head any time soon, the scientists say Huc is "astonishingly stable" and could one day be used as a tiny, sustainable, bacteria-powered battery for small devices. "When you provide Huc with more concentrated hydrogen, it produces more electrical current," Grinter [told *LiveScience*](). "Which means you could use it in fuel cells to power more complex devices, like smart watches, or smartphones, more portable complex computers, and possibly even a car." **More on energy:** [*Researchers Successfully Turn Abandoned Oil Well into Giant Geothermal Battery*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()