“Rumplestiltskin” Bacteria Digests Toxic Liquid, Poops 24-Karat Gold

ORIGINAL: Ecouterre

by Lori Zimmer, 

10/03/12

Photos by G.L. Kohuth

Here's some poop we won't mind scooping: Scientists at Michigan State University have discovered a strain of bacteria that literally excretes gold. Cupriavidus metalliduran, according to microbiologist Kazem Kashefi and electronic artist Adam Brown, doesn't just survive on toxic concentrations of auric chloride, it thrives. By feeding a colony unprecedented quantities of the naturally occurring but deadly compound—a process they believe mirrors what happens in nature—the duo managed to coax the microbes into metabolizing the toxins into 24-karat gold. The irony? The process would be cost-prohibitive on a large scale. So Kashefi and Brown did the next best thingo: they turned their research into an art installation.