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Gold Mining Bacteria

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the i'd-like-a-dozen-no-a-hundred dept.

Anonymous 49'er writes "Nature is reporting that bacteria found in Australian gold mines are capable of extruding tiny invisible 'secondary grains' from soil and alluvial systems. From the article: "Potential applications -- from sensing the bacteria as a way to look for gold mines, to using them to help make industrially useful particles of gold -- may be some way off. But Southam is keen to exploit the bacteria's natural trick. 'I want to make a gold nugget one day,' he says. 'Gold nuggets grow in nature, so why shouldn't I be able to make one?'"

9 of 50 comments (clear)

  1. I misread at first by IlliniECE · · Score: 1, Funny

    Scanning Slashdot's front page, two words caught my eyes: bacteria and nuggets.

    1. Re:I misread at first by CrazyJim1 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Bacteria nuggets? Don't they sell those at Mcdonalds?

      --
      God spoke to me.
  2. searching for mines? by mike_sucks · · Score: 2, Funny

    From TFA: "from sensing the bacteria as a way to look for gold mines"

    Surely we know where the gold mines are already - I mean, they tend to be biiiig things, or at least big holes in the ground. I wouldn't have though that looking for bacteria would make then any easier to spot.

    Shouldn't the bacteria be used for finding gold _deposits_ instead? /ba-da ba-doom!/

    Thank you, thank you. I'm here all week, tell you friends! I reccomend the veal, it's devine.

    --
    -- "So, what's the deal with Auntie Gerschwitz et all?"
  3. Standby patent office, I have and idea! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    1. Infect humans with gold mining bacteria.
    2. Sneak rocks into their food.
    3. ????
    4. Profit!

    1. Re:Standby patent office, I have and idea! by xyvimur · · Score: 4, Funny

      It's faster to make gold out of Smurfs...

  4. Gold Farmers by Dwedit · · Score: 3, Funny

    There's no way the Chinese gold farmers will be able to compete with these bacteria!

    1. Re:Gold Farmers by Kangie · · Score: 1, Funny

      I dunno.. there's still more chinese than there are bacteria..

  5. Proof and therefore disproof of God by jamesh · · Score: 3, Funny

    I was going to write a comment here about how such an incredibly useful bacteria can't possibly have evolved by itself, and must therefore be a dead giveaway that God exists, thus denying the need for faith (without which He is nothing), and so causing Him to vanish in a puff of logic.

    But i'm too tired, so just pretend I wrote it and mod me funny appropriately.

  6. I for one... by E++99 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I for one welcome our new gold-crapping microbe overlords.