Microbes Work To Mop Up Oil

[Moontanman]

Microbes work to mop up oil

 

 

 

Deep sea microbe populations are evolving in response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, helping to digest the oil that continues to contaminate the Gulf of Mexico, according to a study published today (August 24) on the ScienceExpress website.

 

 

Bacteria on an oil drop (magnified 100x)

The findings provide tantalizing clues that the ocean is evolving in a way that will help it heal from the massive spill, but it's still early days, said biogeochemist John Farrington of the School of Marine Science and Technology at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, who was not involved in the research.

 

 

 

Read more: Microbes work to mop up oil - The Scientist - Magazine of the Life Sciences http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/57631/#ixzz0xYESYUlv