A tiny but powerful microbe could be the key to solving two major global challenges at once. Scientists at Cornell University have engineered a bacterium called Gluconobacter oxydans that can both extract rare earth elements needed for modern technology and capture carbon dioxide from the air. The research team, led by Professors Buz Barstow and Esteban Gazel, has spent seven years studying how these microbes interact with metals and minerals. Their work has resulted in three recent breakthrough papers published in Communications Biology and Scientific Reports. “More metals will have to be mined in this century than in all of … Continue reading Mighty Microbe Boosts Rare Earth Mining 73% While Capturing Carbon 58x Faster Than Nature