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Science 8 May 1998:
Vol. 280. no. 5365, pp. 880 - 883
DOI: 10.1126/science.280.5365.880
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Reports

Reaction Sequence of Iron Sulfide Minerals in Bacteria and Their Use as Biomarkers

Mihály Pósfai, * Peter R. Buseck, Dennis A. Bazylinski, Richard B. Frankel

Some bacteria form intracellular nanometer-scale crystals of greigite (Fe3S4) that cause the bacteria to be oriented in magnetic fields. Transmission electron microscope observations showed that ferrimagnetic greigite in these bacteria forms from nonmagnetic mackinawite (tetragonal FeS) and possibly from cubic FeS. These precursors apparently transform into greigite by rearrangement of iron atoms over a period of days to weeks. Neither pyrrhotite nor pyrite was found. These results have implications for the interpretation of the presence of pyrrhotite and greigite in the martian meteorite ALH84001.

M. Pósfai and P. R. Buseck, Departments of Geology and Chemistry/Biochemistry, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
D. A. Bazylinski, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
R. B. Frankel, Department of Physics, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA.
*   Permanent address: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Veszprém, Veszprém H-8200, Hungary.

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Magnetic Microstructure of Magnetotactic Bacteria by Electron Holography.
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