Oh, bacteria. Micro-organisms get a bad reputation sometimes for wrecking havoc on our systems with infections, but these bacteria prove it’s not all doom and gloom… but glitter? A bunch of researchers from Michigan State University started feeding the Cupriavidus metallidurans bacteria massive amounts of the naturally-occurring toxic auric chloride, only to discover the bacteria really, really liked it, metabolising the toxins to produce 24k-carat gold.
Sadly though, the process is so costly it wouldn’t make sense to turn it into a money-making bacterial poopfest. Still, a microbiologist Kazem Kashefi and artist Adam W Brown did make an art installation out of this microbial alchemy a few years back, provoking the thought: What is really valuable?