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"This bacterium is an autotrophic organism, like a plant. It does, however, not need light like a plant, as it draws its energy from phosphite oxidation."

The CO2-eating, or autotrophic, E. coli strains can still grow on sugar — and would use that source of fuel over CO2, given the choice, says Milo.

That means researchers should be able to insert these changes autotrophic E. coli that eat formate, which is readily made by zapping CO2 in water with electricity.

So, he says that it could be that sentient plants offworld would be ones that remain autotrophic and follow the sun, but also literally move.

These three steps can be engineered into autotrophic organisms, an approach that is now being supported by a US DOE Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy programme called Electrofuels.