May 28, 2019 15:14:00

The existence of bacteria that attracts gold is confirmed

The presence of 'gold attracts bacteria' has been confirmed in Bodington, a mine in Western Australia. A fungus called Fusarium oxysporum can attach gold to its own fibers by decomposing and precipitating particles contained in the surrounding soil. Researchers brought back Fusarium oxysporum from Boddington and examined it in the lab, and it is said that the gold-coated bacteria grow more rapidly than other bacteria, and they breed faster. Therefore, Fusarium oxysporum is used to 'attach gold'. It is considered to be biologically beneficial to

Evidence for fungi and gold redox interaction under Earth surface conditions | Nature Communications

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-10006-5

Gold-coated fungi are the new gold diggers-CSIRO
https://www.csiro.au/en/News/News-releases/2019/Gold-coated-fungi-are-the-new-gold-diggers

Gold-speckled fungi discovered in WA | The Canberra Times
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6180680/gold-speckled-fungi-discovered-in-wa/?cs=14231

Gold-studded fungus discovered in Western Australia could help miners hit pay dirt-Science News-ABC News
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-05-24/fungus-containing-gold-discovered-in-western-australia/11143230

Fungus that draws gold from its surroundings discovered in Western Australia | Science | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/may/24/fungi-that-draws-gold-from-its-surroundings-discovered-in-western-australia

“The bacteria are important for decomposing and recycling leaves and bark or materials such as aluminum, iron, manganese and calcium,” said Tsing Bohu, a biochemist of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) who conducted the research. It is well known that it plays a role, but since gold is chemically inert, such effects are very unusual and surprising.

Research has shown that Fusarium oxysporum produces a chemical called

superoxide that breaks down gold. It was also found that another chemical substance was also produced to solidify the decomposed gold as nanoparticles again. The researchers say that the role of precipitated gold is to 'become a catalyst for bacteria to break down some carbon.' At the time of writing, researchers continue to analyze and model “Why bacteria interact with gold” and “Fusarium oxysporum is an indicator that more gold exists underground”.

Australia is the world's second largest producer of gold, but is expected to lose productivity in the near future unless new mines are found. Defining the ecology of Fusarium oxysporum is believed to have the potential to identify gold-rich mines and create an indicator for mining potential areas.

by on xay

'This research is very cool, it's completely new, and the data is attractive,' said Sskiia Bindschedler, a microbiologist at the University of Neuchâtel, who has not participated in this research, and the bacteria mines gold He says he sees it as 'the most environmentally friendly way'. Bindschedler also suggested the possibility of using bacteria to mine metals such as gold, silver and copper from things like electrical and electronic waste .