Unique bacteria

Modified bacterium Klebsiella Planticola, total exterminator

photo: listverse.com
The superpower of this bacterium could theoretically allow it to destroy all the plants on Earth, so perhaps a true supervillain has finally appeared on this list. Klebsiella planticola lives on the roots of almost all plants in the world. These insidious creatures are responsible for the decomposition of dead plants, and it is they who cleanse the soil of organic waste.
A German scientist once took a sample of Klebsiella planticola and altered its genetic structure in such a way that, as the plant was processed, the bacteria produced both fertilizer and ethanol. The innovators came up with the idea that a new type of bacteria could be sold for use in both agriculture and industry. The commercial benefit seemed obvious, and therefore, in the early 1990s, it was even planned to conduct field trials of modified microbes.
Fortunately, to test the effectiveness of the new Klebsiella planticola, a team of scientists from the Oregon State University (Oregon State University) first conducted a laboratory experiment. A sample of fertile and seed-enriched soil was divided into 2 parts: in one sample there were ordinary bacteria, and in the second - modified ones. The results showed that the seeds in the soil with natural bacteria developed normally, but all the seeds infected with the modified Klebsiella planticola died after a week.
As it turned out, the modified bacterium produced 17 times more ethanol than the plants could handle.In addition, plants get nutrients from the soil with the help of a fungus, but microscopic organisms with altered DNA have affected the soil in such a way that there are too many worms in it, and they destroyed all the fungus. As a result, the plants died not only from ethanol poisoning, but also from starvation.
The researchers found that, unlike other modified microbes, the modified Klebsiella planticola bacterium can survive for a very long time in almost any soil, and this is a plus, but it also poses a big threat to all plants, which is already a huge minus. That is why the new species was not interested in commercial enterprises. Presumably, if one dared to start field research, these bacteria could destroy all plants on the scale of an entire continent.