The gold […] was not found in a river or a mine. It was produced by a bacteria that, according to researchers at Michigan State University, can survive in extreme toxic environments and create 24-karat gold nuggets. Pure gold.
Maybe this critter can save us all from the global economic crisis?
Of course not—but at least it can make Kazem Kashefi—assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics—and Adam Brown—associate professor of electronic art and intermedia—a bit rich, if only for the show they have put together.
Kashefi and Brown are the ones who have created this compact laboratory that uses the bacteria Cupriavidus metallidurans to turn gold chlroride—a toxic chemical liquid you can find in nature—into 99.9% pure gold.
Accoding to Kashefi, they are doing “microbial alchemy” by “something that has no value into a solid [in fact, it the toxic material they use does cost money. Less than gold, but still plenty], precious metal that’s valuable.”
Here is the news release from the Michigan State Univ.:Superman-strength bacteria produces gold.
It would be cost prohibitive to reproduce their experiment on a larger scale, he said. But the researchers’ success in creating gold raises questions about greed, economy and environmental impact, focusing on the ethics related to science and the engineering of nature.
Tip is from Ray Gorman who says “Eureka!!! GOLD!!!! Look for “Gold Making Kits” to be “AS SEEN ON TV” pretty quick.”
Haha. I wonder… As explained, it’s not economical even at the current price of gold and the toxic material they use won’t be fit for the kitchen experimenter. But it is cool. I can’t seem to find the actual amount of gold produced by this technique but it’s super small.