jerryjamesstone writes "Researchers have found that E. coli can be used to recover uranium from tainted waters and can even be used to clean up nuclear waste. Using the bacteria along with inositol phosphate, the bacteria breaks down the phosphate — also called phytic acid — to free the phosphate molecules. The phosphate then binds to the uranium forming a uranium-phosphate precipitate on the cells of the bacteria. Those cells can then be harvested to recover the uranium." What has made this 14-year-old process economically feasible is the use of inositol phosphate, which is a cheap waste material from the production feedstock from plant material.
My first thought was along these lines too. Will the Uranium promote mutation into more deadly forms? I hope the Uranium (and E-coli) recovery is going to be tightly controlled
This is highly unlikely. While exposure to radioactivity promotes mutation, nearly all of it is fatal or detrimental to the mutant. Remember that the radiation is causing mutation by creating breaks in the DNA strands, basically causing irreparable damage.
Actually, I think the radioactivity will create viable mutations. But then those mutants need a niche that is exploitable by their particular mutation.
But all this mutation talk seems like it's off-topic. I'm more interested to hear more about this technique of precipitating metals using phytic acid.
We have large uranium mine tailings that need to be cleaned up. We also have other radioactive materials that need to be neutralized.
Also, I wonder if this technique can be used to extract materials suc
Yes, it is possible some viable mutants will result. However, would the chances be any higher of producing a strain of E. coli that are deadlier to humans? I doubt it.
Back on topic, is the uranium-phosphate that is produced still radioactive, or does this just make it easier to extract and remove from the environment?
First off, naturally occurring Uranium isn't all that radioactive. For the most part its U238, which doesn't give off much radiation. And, spent reactor fuel is even more skewed towards U238, otherwise known as Depleted Uranium, the stuff the military uses for armor piercing bullets. You can hold either of this stuff in your bare hands and not have any ill effects. One thing to keep in mind with radioactive materials, the stuff which has half lives of millions or billions of years (U238 is 4.46 billion years, U235 is 703 Million years) isn't producing a heck of a lot of ionizing radiation. The problem with Uranium is that it is a toxic heavy metal, and like other toxic heavy metals (lead, thorium) it will deposit in your internal organs, build up and eventually kill you.
The second problem with the mutated E. Coli of Death is that the vast majority of mutations will result death fairly quickly. Of the ones which don't, they will probably just result in death slowly. Yes, the E. Coil could get some sort of useful mutation out of it, but it's not really more likely to happen in this cleanup site than anywhere else.
You can hold either of this stuff in your bare hands and not have any ill effects.
Boy to people always forget the fourth dimension. The question is *how long* you can do that, and *how strong* the effects will be.
Without time, I could say that I can hold my hand into fire. (For some milliseconds.)
The problem with Uranium is that it is a toxic heavy metal, and like other toxic heavy metals (lead, thorium) it will deposit in your internal organs, build up and eventually kill you.
If you ever find yourself in a chemical, biological nuclear zone with a guy shooting you in the head every five seconds or so, take out your laptop and read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_immortality [wikipedia.org]
I'd say the nuclear waste has a shorter half life than a McDonalds burger. The waste is probably easier to digest for the poor thing. Think of the E.Coli!
All those commenters that need to make that very funny joke about E.coli => poop. Man, that was funny when you were 6, not 20 or 30 years later. But to go back on topic: This looks a bit like a solution looking for a problem. How much low grade uranium waste is there anyway? Or do they propose to use it in primary uranium mining, to make low uranium content ore usable? Yes there is an unsolved waste problem with uranium fission, but this proposed solution is no solution to that.
I visited one of the Elliot Lake, Ontario mines back in the early 90s. These were primarily Uranium mines and the reason for visiting was my hometown (Crandon, WI) had one of the larger zinc/copper finds in the US. My parents were in fairly respected positions in the community so Exxon/Rio Algom paid for us to go on a little trip up there and take a look at what they proposed for our town. One of the major concerns I recall walking away with was what mining did to the lake. The uranium tailings were dir
It is a solution for a pop culture non-problem.
What I mean by that is... All of the people who are irrationally scared of the word "nuclear" have the same fearful position on nuclear power.
"What do we do with the waste? Not in my back yard!!!"
"The run off from uranium mining can rape the local flora. Not in my back yard!!!"
It isn't about solving some huge looming problem. It is about pacification of people's irrational fears so we can actually build nuclear power plants and stop spewing mercury an
99,9...% of random mutations cause premature death. Of the beneficial ones, exactly 0% cause the bacteria to transform into man-eating eldritch abominations. "Dangerous mutants" are a pop culture thing and pretending they are a real possibility is funny.
I love hearing about turning aids into a cancer fighting ailment. I love hearing about using waste from the farms to develop the ecoli, which will then recycle the nuclear waste we are accumulating. Imagine if now, the nuclear waste did not have to go missing off the back end of ships and trucks everywhere, because we had a safe means of disposal....it would not only make the garbage management industry falter, but make us rethink our failure to adopt nuclear energy as a viable source for cities everywhere.
The reference to Ghost in the Shell is tempting, but unfortunately, the "Japanese Miracle" from GitS involved using nanomachines for radiation clean-up. Still, pretty interesting.
The article says it can clean up nuclear waste. Does this mean it can clean up sites where a nuclear explosion has taken place? (Sorry if that's a dumb question, I'm not that knowledgeable on this). If so, I am more interested in what this will mean politically: does this mean using nuclear weapons has become a much easier option?
I never knew that nuclear blast zones were so contaminated that they were of much concern. I always thought that the hundreds of thousands killed in an instant was the deterrent, not the expensive clean up.
E coli lives up buttholes. Human and animal.
Instead of running around like headless chickens people should learn to wash their goddam hands already, especially if they've been near buttholes or stuff that comes out of them or xcreature likely to have rolled around in stuff that comes out of them.
Problem solved, hardly rocket fucking science is it?
I long for the day when the "Green" movement is forced to concede that nuclear power is the ONLY path to true energy independence and abundance. I'm not interested in your pre-industrial-revolution utopia.
We had some ideas for energy independence, but unfortunately they had to be abandoned. It turns out that violations of the Second Law of Thermodynamics make atheists cry.
Just cuddling (Score:5, Funny)
I for one... (Score:3, Funny)
I for one welcome our new radioactive, disease spreading overlords!
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This is highly unlikely. While exposure to radioactivity promotes mutation, nearly all of it is fatal or detrimental to the mutant. Remember that the radiation is causing mutation by creating breaks in the DNA strands, basically causing irreparable damage.
Mutations and environment (Score:2)
But all this mutation talk seems like it's off-topic. I'm more interested to hear more about this technique of precipitating metals using phytic acid.
We have large uranium mine tailings that need to be cleaned up. We also have other radioactive materials that need to be neutralized.
Also, I wonder if this technique can be used to extract materials suc
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Yes, it is possible some viable mutants will result. However, would the chances be any higher of producing a strain of E. coli that are deadlier to humans? I doubt it.
Back on topic, is the uranium-phosphate that is produced still radioactive, or does this just make it easier to extract and remove from the environment?
Re:I for one... (Score:5, Informative)
First off, naturally occurring Uranium isn't all that radioactive. For the most part its U238, which doesn't give off much radiation. And, spent reactor fuel is even more skewed towards U238, otherwise known as Depleted Uranium, the stuff the military uses for armor piercing bullets. You can hold either of this stuff in your bare hands and not have any ill effects. One thing to keep in mind with radioactive materials, the stuff which has half lives of millions or billions of years (U238 is 4.46 billion years, U235 is 703 Million years) isn't producing a heck of a lot of ionizing radiation. The problem with Uranium is that it is a toxic heavy metal, and like other toxic heavy metals (lead, thorium) it will deposit in your internal organs, build up and eventually kill you.
The second problem with the mutated E. Coli of Death is that the vast majority of mutations will result death fairly quickly. Of the ones which don't, they will probably just result in death slowly. Yes, the E. Coil could get some sort of useful mutation out of it, but it's not really more likely to happen in this cleanup site than anywhere else.
Parent
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You can hold either of this stuff in your bare hands and not have any ill effects.
Boy to people always forget the fourth dimension.
The question is *how long* you can do that, and *how strong* the effects will be.
Without time, I could say that I can hold my hand into fire. (For some milliseconds.)
The problem with Uranium is that it is a toxic heavy metal, and like other toxic heavy metals (lead, thorium) it will deposit in your internal organs, build up and eventually kill you.
Aaah... There's the (partial) answer. ;)
Radioactive e-coli? (Score:5, Funny)
Someone's bound to get bitten, and then what?
Will e-coliman protect us from the villains?
Re:Radioactive e-coli? (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
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He's got that dark, brooding, lone wolf hero thing going.
Ingenious (Score:5, Funny)
So a combined chemical and biological threat can defeat a nuclear one, after all!
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So a combined chemical and biological threat can defeat a nuclear one, after all!
The damage rolls back at 255.
If you find yourself in a chemical, biological, nuclear zone, shoot yourself in the head every five seconds or so.
Re:Ingenious (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
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Dude, how many universes must you post that in? Give it a rest already!
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Bad timing (Score:4, Funny)
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It's okay, we've got a few e-coli infested "petting farms" in the UK at the moment ;)
Re:Bad timing (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
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Your children multiple at uncontrollable rates without any external interaction? Wow, I'd certainly be worried.
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Additionally, they have all the intelligence of a single-celled organism.
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Hah! then... (Score:4, Funny)
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I'd say the nuclear waste has a shorter half life than a McDonalds burger. The waste is probably easier to digest for the poor thing. Think of the E.Coli!
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Re:Hah! then... (Score:4, Funny)
When hunger comes, you'll eat anything.
I mean, sooner or later you'll have no more corpses, and then, you'll have to choose between McDonalds and Spam.
The radiation inmunity just tips the balance to the clown pit.
Parent
Oh, Well... (Score:2, Funny)
Shit happens.
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Critical mess (Score:3, Funny)
One day we will find out that e-coli prefers uranium-235, not long after it happens to make a nice deposit of this benign material.
nucular. (Score:4, Funny)
as a professional microbiologist ... (Score:3, Informative)
even better would be E. coli, but perhaps I ask too much :(
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What's the reason for the italic?
Conveniently... (Score:2)
Finally a use for all the defunct petting zoos! (Score:3, Funny)
Just build petting zoos on top of nuclear waste dumps. Problem solved! [sky.com]
Naturally (Score:5, Funny)
Uranium is the element named after Uranus, right ? No wonder it attracts E.Coli.
depressing... (Score:3, Insightful)
All those commenters that need to make that very funny joke about E.coli => poop. Man, that was funny when you were 6, not 20 or 30 years later.
But to go back on topic: This looks a bit like a solution looking for a problem. How much low grade uranium waste is there anyway? Or do they propose to use it in primary uranium mining, to make low uranium content ore usable?
Yes there is an unsolved waste problem with uranium fission, but this proposed solution is no solution to that.
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Man, that was funny when you were 6, not 20 or 30 years later.
But at 40 and 50 years later its pure comedy once again.
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"What do we do with the waste? Not in my back yard!!!"
"The run off from uranium mining can rape the local flora. Not in my back yard!!!"
It isn't about solving some huge looming problem. It is about pacification of people's irrational fears so we can actually build nuclear power plants and stop spewing mercury an
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99,9...% of random mutations cause premature death. Of the beneficial ones, exactly 0% cause the bacteria to transform into man-eating eldritch abominations. "Dangerous mutants" are a pop culture thing and pretending they are a real possibility is funny.
I love science! (Score:2)
I love hearing about turning aids into a cancer fighting ailment.
I love hearing about using waste from the farms to develop the ecoli, which will then recycle the nuclear waste we are accumulating.
Imagine if now, the nuclear waste did not have to go missing off the back end of ships and trucks everywhere, because we had a safe means of disposal....it would not only make the garbage management industry falter, but make us rethink our failure to adopt nuclear energy as a viable source for cities everywhere.
Obligatory Futurama reference (Score:2, Funny)
How will this affect my nuclear piles?
Not the "Japanese Miracle" (Score:2)
The reference to Ghost in the Shell is tempting, but unfortunately, the "Japanese Miracle" from GitS involved using nanomachines for radiation clean-up. Still, pretty interesting.
The article says it can clean up nuclear waste. Does this mean it can clean up sites where a nuclear explosion has taken place? (Sorry if that's a dumb question, I'm not that knowledgeable on this). If so, I am more interested in what this will mean politically: does this mean using nuclear weapons has become a much easier option?
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I never knew that nuclear blast zones were so contaminated that they were of much concern. I always thought that the hundreds of thousands killed in an instant was the deterrent, not the expensive clean up.
I wonder when they will find out... (Score:2)
That everyone down that river now constantly shits his pants, instead of losing hair, and that that makes them die even quicker. :P
dirty skanky bastards (Score:2)
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But then the radiation will get them!
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I long for the day when the "Green" movement is forced to concede that nuclear power is the ONLY path to true energy independence and abundance. I'm not interested in your pre-industrial-revolution utopia.
We had some ideas for energy independence, but unfortunately they had to be abandoned. It turns out that violations of the Second Law of Thermodynamics make atheists cry.