Bacteria that "munch" up radioactive waste may also be able to generate electricity, a new study suggests.

Researchers have decoded the genome of Geobacter sulfurreducens. The species has genes that allow it to convert uranium dissolved in water into solids that can be removed.

"The genome of this tiny microorganism may help us to address some of our most difficult cleanup problems and to generate power through biologically based energy sources," U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham said in a statement.

Researchers at The Institute for Genomic Research in Rockville, Md., and at the University of Massachusetts did the genetic mapping, which was sponsored by the U.S. energy department.

They found the bacteria have genes coding for proteins to help shuttle electrons. The reaction makes it easier to remove radioactive compounds from water.

Scientists had thought the microbe could only survive in environments lacking oxygen. The new study suggests in some cases, it can work where oxygen is present.

The bacteria were first found in a contaminated soil sample in Oklahoma.

The study appears in Friday's issue of the journal Science.