An unusual group of iron bacteria has recently been discovered which form inclusion bodies containing a form of iron oxide known as magnetite (ferrosoferric oxide, Fe3O4.) The inclusions are of a nano-particle size, are encased within a protein envelope, and are called magnetosomes. Magnetosomes are arranged adjacent to one another and parallel to the long axis of the cell such that cells appear to contain an electron-dense string of beads. The bacteria containing magnetosomes exhibit metal reductase activity, an activity critical to element recycling in nature, and the inclusions are a means for the organism to sequester reduced iron atoms and thereby keep iron reduction stoichiometry favorable. The magnetosomes also allow the bacteria to display magnetotaxis, which is movement in response to a magnetic field, such as the north or south magnetic poles. It is presumed that the bacteria use the alignment to the earth’s magnetic field to orient themselves downward towards sediments where the habitat is favo...