Earth Sciences Professor Steven K. Lower’s new three-year, $562K NSF grant will fund new work examining bacteria that have unique genes that allow them to make nanometer-size magnets inside their cells. They can use the magnets to navigate much like humans use a compass. The research is a novel combination of mineralogy, genetics and microbiology.

The grant, which began September 1, funds a research project co-led by Lower and his twin brother, Brian Lower, associate professor, School of Environment and Natural Resources. They are collaborating with Professor Dennis Bazylinski of the School of Life Science at the University of Nevada/Las Vegas.

“One of the things that we'd like to do,” Steven Lower said, “is mimic magnetotactic bacteria's ability to fabricate really small magnets. There are a number of potential uses for nano-magnets in medicine or technology.

“So far, humans have found it very challenging to create the same high quality, nanometer size magnets as these bacteria, which lack a brain mind you!

“Of course, evolution has been on the side of magnetic bacteria, which have been around for over a billion years. Natural selection has helped them tailor the perfect magnet for biological cells. We just need to copy them. Clone their genes and use their proteins to make the magnets in vitro.”

—Sandi Rutkowski