Yes, this news is partially true — it's based on real scientific research, but the viral versions tend to exaggerate or oversimplify the science for dramatic effect. Here's a breakdown of the truth behind it:
✅ What’s true:
- Cupriavidus metallidurans is a real bacterium that can survive in metal-rich, toxic environments (like soils with high concentrations of heavy metals such as gold and copper).
- This microbe detoxifies its environment by using enzymes (like CopA and CupA) to process metal ions(including gold), which would normally be toxic to living organisms.
- In doing so, it precipitates gold particles — that is, it helps form tiny solid gold nuggets (nanoparticles), essentially "excreting" gold in a solid form.
- This process was studied by scientists from Germany and Australia, notably including researchers at the University of Adelaide and Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research.
- The idea of biological gold recovery (or "bio-mining") is real and being researched as a cleaner, low-energy alternative to traditional gold extraction.
❌ What’s exaggerated:
- The bacteria doesn't "literally poop out gold" in the way a cartoon might suggest. It precipitates gold particlesas part of its detoxification process — the particles form on or near the bacteria, not as gold-colored poop.
- The gold it creates is microscopic, not chunks of 24-karat gold ready for a jeweler. It's nanogold, which still needs to be processed.
- Saying it could revolutionize gold recovery is a bit speculative — it’s promising, but not yet industrial-scale or widely used.
🧪 Key Study:
One of the key studies is:
- "Mechanisms of gold biomineralization in the bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans" (Karin Reith et al., Nature Chemical Biology, 2009).
This research showed how the bacteria can survive and even thrive in toxic gold environments by converting soluble gold compounds into inert gold particles.
💡 Why it matters:
- This research could help develop eco-friendly ways to extract gold from e-waste or low-grade ore, especially as electronics recycling becomes more important.
- Traditional gold mining is highly polluting and energy-intensive, so bio-mining presents a greener alternative.
TL;DR:
✅ Yes, Cupriavidus metallidurans can turn toxic gold compounds into solid gold particles via enzymes — it’s a real process.
❌ No, it doesn't poop gold bars — the term is figurative and overhyped.
💡 Potential: It's a promising area of research for cleaner gold recovery methods.
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🧪 Key Scientific Study:
Title: Mechanisms of gold biomineralization in the bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans
Authors: Reith, F., Etschmann, B., Grosse, C., Moors, H., Benotmane, M. A., Monsieurs, P., ... & Nies, D. H.
Published in: Nature Chemical Biology, 2009
DOI: Nature dot com article
🏫 Institutions Involved:
University of Adelaide (Australia)
Home to much of the applied environmental biotechnology research.
https://www.adelaide.edu.auHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (Germany)
Researches microbial interactions in extreme environments.
https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=German Research Foundation (DFG)
Supported parts of the research funding.
📖 Summary:
This study explains how C. metallidurans precipitates gold by detoxifying soluble gold complexes through metabolic processes. It identifies specific genes and enzymes (like CopA and CupA) that allow the bacterium to survive in high-gold environments.
Post number: 531
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