Microbial Alchemy

In an unlikely merger of biochemistry and art, two Michigan professors have discovered a bacterium that can turn a toxic liquid into usable, 24-karat gold.

The organism (known as Cupriavidus metallidurans) was placed into a bioreactor along with high concentrations of gold chloride, a toxic compound that is found in nature. Before an audience, they transformed the toxin into flakes of pure gold, and in about a week, they produced a gold nugget. While the bacteria were already known to be able to grow in such an environment, this experiment illustrated that they’re about 25 times more efficient than previously reported.

The researchers contend that at this point in time it would be cost-prohibitive to develop the process on a larger scale. Instead, their goal was to raise awareness about the impact of science and biological engineering from the standpoint of ethics, the economy and the environment.