Radiation Tolerant Bacteria
Posted on March 20, 2008 Comments (2)
This image is from the Eye of Science web site (which has many great images):
Bacteria: Uranium waste bacteria (metallireducens bacteria) [the green in the image] Electron microscopy… This bacteria is able to survive in radioactive environments and turn the uranium waste from a soluble form (that can contaminate water supplies) to a solid form.
Other species of Geobacter bacteria can eliminate petroleum contamination in polluted water and convert waste organic matter to electricity. Geobacter sp. are anaerobic bacteria (living without oxygen) that use metals to gain energy in the same way that humans use oxygen. Coloured scanning electron micrograph, Magnification: x3,600 and x4,800
Related: Geobacter metallireducens at the microbe wiki – The Art and Science of Imaging – 2006 Nikon Small World Photos – Bacterium Living with High Level Radiation – Art of Science at Princeton (2005) – Get Your Own Science Art
2 Responses to “Radiation Tolerant Bacteria”
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July 26th, 2008 @ 8:29 pm
“Sitting at the centre of the exclusion zone, the damaged reactor unit is encased in a steel and cement sarcophagus. It’s a deathly tomb that plays host to about 200 tonnes of melted radioactive fuel, and is swarming with radioactive dust.
But it’s also the abode of some very hardy fungi which researchers believe aren’t just tolerating the severe radiation, but actually harnessing its energy to thrive…”
May 27th, 2009 @ 6:54 pm
[…] Bizarre Anaerobic Ecosystems Discovered In Lake Huron – Radiation Tolerant Bacteria – Life Far Beneath the Ocean by curiouscat Tags: Science, Students Permalink […]