Fungi can stabilize uranium pollutants!

Darkfrog submitted, created time 8 months 2 days (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)

U.S. military equipment uses depleted uranium. Its density makes it very useful for armor and munitions. However, even though it is less radioactive than regular uranium, the tiny particles that are released on contact can still leave soil and water supplies dangeously polluted. Researchers have foudn a naturally occuring mycorrhizal fungus that can convert uranium particles into a stable form that will not enter the food chain.

3 comments | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: polluted water water pollution uranium radioactivity pollution fungi mycorrhizal fungi warfare