Category: How can microbes clean up the environment?

Invasive trees are changing the soil in the American Southwest Lab tests show that plants influence soil properties over their lifetime because of the bacteria that live on their roots, and Russian olive trees produce previously unaccounted for greenhouse gas emissions.

Posted on January 27, 2022January 12, 2022 by Marina Hein 645 views

Ecosystems with diverse species and healthy habitats provide services that keep the system stable and are beneficial to humans. Humans benefit from healthy ecosystems by appreciating their beauty, hunting and gathering edible plants and animals, and harvesting compounds that are valuable for cultural or commercial…

Microbes that eat iron are a cause of bedrock erosion Scientists find that iron-eating microbes taken from an iron-rich bedrock site in Puerto Rico have the ability to break down pieces of granite in laboratory cultures, showing that iron-eating organisms are involved in the erosion of bedrock.

Posted on January 6, 2022November 29, 2021 by Madison Payne 235 views

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

Hundred-year-old dirt may be able to help restore damaged desert Transplanting masses of microscopic organisms called "biocrusts" to damaged drylands has been shown to successfully increase soil stability and plant drought resistance both in the field and in greenhouse plots.

Posted on December 2, 2021November 29, 2021 by Sophia Salazar 354 views

Scientists hope to restore biocrusts by transplanting healthy salvaged biocrusts to damaged areas. This method was found to successfully increase soil stability and plant drought resistance both in the field and in greenhouse plots

Scientists use bacteria to remove uranium from polluted water In a laboratory scale experiment, scientists found uranium-eating bacteria that could remove 90% of uranium from the culture liquid by turning it into a salt that drops out of the solution.

Posted on November 29, 2021November 29, 2021 by Hannah Lambertson 742 views

Scientists discover a bacterial species that could potentially clean up uranium contamination in the environment following mining activity and nuclear waste production. Experimental results show ~90% uranium removal over the span of 2 days.

Can hidden sulfur cycling influence greenhouse gas emissions in wetlands? A recent study revealed that at least some methane emissions from wetlands come from sulfur bacteria living in the area between the creek bed and the groundwater. But, it's not simple. Some bacteria may be limiting methane, too.

Posted on March 2, 2021July 27, 2021 by Mary Sabuda 278 views

Wetlands are the largest source of methane to Earth’s atmosphere. How do microbes, sulfur, and mixing of water sources influence emissions?

Using Reishi mushrooms to filter methane out of the atmosphere Both living and dead fungi were tested for their ability to capture methane from the atmosphere. Surprisingly, dead fungi performed the best and have high potential for reducing methane levels.

Posted on January 11, 2021July 27, 2021 by Mary Sabuda 1k views

Could dead or living #fungi be used as a biofilter to trap and remove #methane, the potent #greenhousegas, from the atmosphere? Researchers including @shroominn from @UMNews tested both living and dead fungal biomass to determine their ability to capture methane.

Fungi may be able to help clean up polluted water A few species of fungi were tested for their ability to clean up wastewaters contaminated with selenium. With additional nutrients added, it mostly worked. The fungi Alternaria showed great potential for cleaning up water polluted with selenite.

Posted on November 24, 2020April 1, 2021 by Mary Sabuda 447 views

Human activities such as coal mining and processing can cause high levels of selenium contamination, which can be harmful to human health. Could common soil fungi be the answer to this problem? #fungi #selenium #wastewater #contamination Study by: @mary_sabuda @biominerals @crsoil