Caption: Sampling Slime: The slimes that form in the Iron Mountain Mine near Redding, Calif., are formed by a newly-discovered microbe that apparently plays a key role in converting the solid mineral sulfide to the pollutant sulfuric acid. The leaching of sulfuric acid from mines is a global environmental problem that has caused billions of dollars in damage. The new microbe is an archaeon and is capable of living in conditions that mimic hot battery acid.
Photo by: Jillian Banfield
High Resolution JPEG 300 DPI