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Sciworthy

The Encyclopedia of Science's Frontier

Home » Big Questions » How can microbes clean up the environment?

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?
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Methane-munching microbes modify the seafloor

Posted on June 16, 2025June 25, 2025 by Sciworthy

Researchers showed that methane-eating bacteria acidify their surroundings and dissolve carbonate rocks on the seafloor.

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    Thinking like a bacterium can improve water quality

    Posted on January 23, 2023February 15, 2023 by Sciworthy

    Researchers show mathematical models based on cell biology can help lake managers reduce toxic algal blooms and improve the quality of our…

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      Can insects munch their way through our plastic problem?

      Posted on November 14, 2022November 14, 2022 by Erica Curles

      The invention of plastic improved human lives in many ways, but it has also created a lot of waste. Plastic waste can take centuries to…

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        sprite plastic bottle on table
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        How long will plastic waste stick around in the deep sea?

        Posted on August 15, 2022June 25, 2025 by Aubrey Zerkle

        Plastics are ideal for use in household and industrial products because they are strong and elastic, but these properties also make them…

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          What if plastic could detect light or clean wastewater?

          Posted on April 25, 2022November 8, 2022 by Gina Misra

          Engineered living materials are composed of both synthetic materials and living cells. They are made in a lab to do things, like respond to…

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            Invasive trees are changing the soil in the American Southwest

            Posted on January 27, 2022October 24, 2022 by Sciworthy

            Ecosystems with diverse species and healthy habitats provide services that keep the system stable and are beneficial to humans. Humans…

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              Microbes that eat iron cause bedrock erosion

              Posted on January 6, 2022March 5, 2024 by Sciworthy

              Are microscopic mineral-eating microbes breaking down our mountains? They may be behind bedrock erosion.

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                Hundred-year-old dirt may be able to help restore damaged desert

                Posted on December 2, 2021June 24, 2025 by Sciworthy

                Scientists hope to restore biocrusts by transplanting healthy salvaged biocrusts to damaged areas. This method was found to successfully…

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                  Scientists use bacteria to remove uranium from polluted water

                  Posted on November 29, 2021October 24, 2022 by Sciworthy

                  Scientists discover a bacterial species that could potentially clean up uranium contamination in the environment following mining activity…

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                    Researchers propose making concrete with human bodily fluids

                    Posted on October 25, 2021June 25, 2025 by Hunter Dulay

                    Imagine what it would be like to be an astronaut landing on Mars for the first time. The red planet has little more than dust and rocks as…

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