How metal-munching microbes help the rare, toxic element tellurium circulate in the environment
- Written by: Owen Peter Missen, Geosciences Researcher, Museums Victoria, and Research Assistant in Geochemistry, Monash University
Tellurium piecesJan Askeit / Wikimedia, CC BY-SANew technologies often mean elements start moving through the environment in new ways. Take lead plumbing: it helped provide access to fresh water for the masses, but left a toxic legacy that remains to this day.
As we transition away from fossil fuels, we are turning to technologies reliant on rare...