All Microbes of the Earth articles – Page 2

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    News

    Engineered yeast gives the US a green edge in the critical minerals market

    2026-03-18T13:02:00Z

    A new, U.S.-based, environmentally friendly method for mining rare-earth elements used in consumer electronics, clean energy, defense and biomedical imaging uses oxalic acid made by sugar-eating engineered yeast, extracting almost all the rare-earth elements from low-grade ore.

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    News

    Corpses leave microbial fingerprints behind in the soil long after they’re gone

    2026-03-12T16:41:00Z

    Researchers have found that trace elements of a cadaver linger at an original dump site even after an extensive amount of time. These elements can provide insights into postmortem processes, helping forensic investigators uncover clandestine burials and relocate the remains of murder victims.

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    News

    Invasive death cap mushrooms are changing their chemistry

    2026-02-19T12:23:00Z

    Scientists have just published new research about the chemistry of death cap mushrooms (Amanita phalloides) - the species is not only spreading rapidly as an invasive fungal species in the United States, but the move across continents has changed the chemistry of the species.

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    News

    Fungus unlocks hidden phosphorus from massive industrial waste

    2026-01-28T11:40:00Z

    Researchers have shown that Aspergillus niger can extract large amounts of residual phosphorus from phosphogypsum, a byproduct of phosphoric acid production that is generated in enormous quantities worldwide. More than 40 per cent of the phosphorus locked inside this waste material can be recovered.