Gases power diverse microbial life in caves
Researchers found that cave-dwelling microbes use atmospheric trace gases like methane and carbon monoxide as sources of energy and carbon.
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?
Do microbes prefer biodegradable plastic?
Researchers found that microbes living on biodegradable plastics have more genes for plastic degradation than those living on traditional…
Methane-munching microbes modify the seafloor
Researchers showed that methane-eating bacteria acidify their surroundings and dissolve carbonate rocks on the seafloor.
Thinking like a bacterium can improve water quality
Researchers show mathematical models based on cell biology can help lake managers reduce toxic algal blooms and improve the quality of our…
Can insects munch their way through our plastic problem?
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…
How long will plastic waste stick around in the deep sea?
Plastics are ideal for use in household and industrial products because they are strong and elastic, but these properties also make them…
What if plastic could detect light or clean wastewater?
Engineered living materials are composed of both synthetic materials and living cells. They are made in a lab to do things, like respond to…
Invasive trees are changing the soil in the American Southwest
Ecosystems with diverse species and healthy habitats provide services that keep the system stable and are beneficial to humans. Humans…
Microbes that eat iron cause bedrock erosion
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
Scientists hope to restore biocrusts by transplanting healthy salvaged biocrusts to damaged areas. This method was found to successfully…