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Sciworthy

Sciworthy

The Encyclopedia of Science's Frontier

Category: How can microbes clean up the environment?

How can microbes, archae, and fungi be used to clean up pollution? How do we treat water and soil using microbiology?
Pine tree forest
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Fungi help pine trees survive heat stress

Posted on October 19, 2026October 7, 2026 by Madeline Taylor

Researchers found that pine seedlings in a symbiotic partnership with soil fungi grew 80% larger and survived extreme heat better than those…

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    Electric car charging
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    How do bacteria adapt to toxic metal waste?

    Posted on October 1, 2026August 19, 2026 by Madeline Taylor

    University of Minnesota scientists identified a specific DNA region in the bacterium Shewanella oneidensis that helps it tolerate heavy…

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      Sargassum sacs
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      Using seaweed to harvest valuable metals

      Posted on July 20, 2026July 9, 2026 by Sciworthy

      Researchers demonstrated that blooms of the free-floating seaweed Sargassum can sustainably extract rare earth elements from water.

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        Elbrus glacier
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        When glaciers retreat, microbes take over

        Posted on June 15, 2026May 28, 2026 by Sciworthy

        Researchers demonstrated that the first microbes to colonize recently deglaciated soil can extract nutrients from air and rock to survive…

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          Brown rot on apple
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          Using bacteria to fight fungal brown rot

          Posted on June 4, 2026May 11, 2026 by Madeline Taylor

          Scientists compared the effectiveness of traditional chemical fungicides and newer biological fungicides in killing the fungus responsible…

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            Melting ice in the Arctic Ocean
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            Does the Arctic Ocean regulate or amplify global warming?

            Posted on May 14, 2026September 1, 2026 by Sciworthy

            Researchers found that interactions between methane gas and seawater affected greenhouse gas emissions from the Arctic Ocean during a past…

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              A field of sunflowers
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              Biofertilizers change plants’ natural microbes

              Posted on April 22, 2026September 1, 2026 by Madeline Taylor

              Scientists tested how mixtures of plant-growth-promoting bacteria affect the microbial communities of different sunflower varieties for use…

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                Sunflowers
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                Scientists probe plant-based soil cleanup

                Posted on March 26, 2026September 1, 2026 by Madeline Taylor

                Researchers tested plant-based soil remediation methods and found that adding beneficial microbes to copper-contaminated soil improved…

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                  Cave interior
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                  Gases power diverse microbial life in caves

                  Posted on January 26, 2026September 1, 2026 by Madeline Taylor

                  Researchers found that cave-dwelling microbes use atmospheric trace gases like methane and carbon monoxide as sources of energy and carbon.

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                    Top view of plastic bottles with flowers
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                    Do microbes prefer biodegradable plastic?

                    Posted on November 3, 2025October 31, 2025 by Madeline Taylor

                    Researchers found that microbes living on biodegradable plastics have more genes for plastic degradation than those living on traditional…

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