(Press-News.org) Washington, D.C. — Feb. 23, 2024 —Streams with ample connections to shallow groundwater flowpaths have greater microbial diversity and are more effective at preventing toxic forms of metals—often products of upstream mining—from entering and being transported downstream. These streams are also better at detoxifying those metals already present. The research is published this week in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
Under favorable conditions, the zone lining a stream channel stores nutrients and oxygen that meet nutritional and respiratory needs of local invertebrates and fish. That zone also serves as a filter in which chemical processes and microbes reduce the toxicity and mobility of metals.
However, the investigators found that when mining-related contaminants enter a stream, they reduce the filtration capacity of this reactive zone. That’s because inflows of acidic, metal-rich abandoned mine drainage create an iron-rich mineral barrier—notable for its rust color—that blocks the entry of stream water into the streambed, where the filtration occurs.
That barrier reduces the species diversity of microorganisms inhabiting the streambed, and the types of micro-organisms that thrive under these conditions convert metals dissolved in the water to minerals that further clog the stream channel, limiting the exchange of nutrients between the stream and groundwater beneath it.
“This was an important finding because the lack of exchange between the stream and groundwater also prevented this stream from serving as a natural filter for toxic metals,” said corresponding author Beth Hoagland, Ph.D., a geochemist at S.S. Papadopulos & Associates, Inc., Rockville, Md. “Metals such as aluminum and copper accumulated in this stream to levels that are harmful to aquatic species.”
The research was conducted in two streams in the San Juan mountains of southwestern Colorado, a region that saw extensive mining starting in the late 1800s that continued for more than a century. The region is now the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site known as the Bonita Peak Mining District. “Our research highlights the dynamic interplay between hydrology, geochemistry and microbiology at the groundwater-surface water interface of acid mine drainage streams,” Hoagland said.
Streams, such as Cement Creek, that receive flows from the abandoned mines are particularly vulnerable to becoming acidic and containing toxic levels of metals that are harmful to fish, invertebrates and other biota that live in or interact with the stream. In such streams, exchange between groundwater and streamwater is limited due to higher concentrations of dissolved metal, which clogs the connections of the 2 water sources. That, and higher acidity result in low diversity of microbiota.
One benefit of the research is to demonstrate what stream conditions reduce the levels of toxic metals such as aluminum, cadmium, arsenic and zinc being transported downstream. The research also shows that streams that have ample exchange between stream water and shallow groundwater may harbor microorganisms that reduce release of toxic forms of metals to downstream ecosystems, says Hoagland. “This finding can help regulators and scientists develop remediation strategies that will enhance this stream function,” Hoagland said, “thereby reducing toxic metal loads from mine waste.”
###
The American Society for Microbiology is one of the largest professional societies dedicated to the life sciences and is composed of 36,000 scientists and health practitioners. ASM's mission is to promote and advance the microbial sciences.
ASM advances the microbial sciences through conferences, publications, certifications, educational opportunities and advocacy efforts. It enhances laboratory capacity around the globe through training and resources. It provides a network for scientists in academia, industry and clinical settings. Additionally, ASM promotes a deeper understanding of the microbial sciences to diverse audiences.
END
Across the globe, more than 39 million people are living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS, including more than 1.3 million new HIV diagnoses last year. The majority of those afflicted — approximately 76% — have access to antiviral therapy that allows them to live with HIV as a chronic disease.
Sharilyn Almodóvar, Ph.D., from the Department of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Medicine and the TTUHSC Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, said that even with the widespread ...
WHO PQ paves the way for public procurement of SKYTyphoid™ by UN organizations
Addition of new vaccine will diversify, expand TCV supply amid expected growing demand
February 23, 2024, SEOUL, Korea – SK bioscience and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) announced today that the typhoid conjugate vaccine developed by SK bioscience with technology transfer from IVI has achieved the World Health Organization prequalification (PQ), which paves the way for public procurement of the vaccine by UN organizations and gives a boost to the global TCV supply.
WHO PQ certifies the safety, efficacy, and GMP of a vaccine by evaluating its manufacturing ...
Should we be using polygenic risk score assessment for embryo selection? Providing in-depth analysis, the Social, Ethical and Legal Issues Committee of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) has released a new Points to Consider statement to assist healthcare professionals and patients in understanding the safety and utility of preimplantation genetic testing for polygenic disorders (PGT-P) as a clinical service.
“Clinical Utility of Polygenic Risk Scores for Embryo Selection: A Points to Consider Statement of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG)” was published in the College’s flagship journal, Genetics ...
Microbially induced corrosion (MIC) is a prevalent issue in marine environments, leading to structural damages such as cracking in concrete infrastructure. This corrosion poses a persistent challenge, significantly reducing the lifespan of marine structures and resulting in substantial economic losses. In response to the need for an effective solution to combat the marine corrosion on concrete, researchers of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University have developed a biomineralization approach to protect marine concrete from MIC.
Prof. ...
Researchers at UBC Okanagan are revisiting old building practices—the use of by-products and cast-offs—as a way to improve building materials and sustainability of the trade.
A technique known as rammed earth construction uses materials that are alternatives to cement and are often more readily available in the environment. One such alternative is wood fly ash, a by-product of pulp mills and coal-fired power plants, explains Dr. Sumi Siddiqua, with UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering.
Industry has been trying to find a use for materials like fly ash ...
Whiteflies, particularly the African cassava whitefly (Bemisia tabaci, SSA1-SG1), pose a significant threat to agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa by transmitting viruses that cause cassava brown streak disease and cassava mosaic virus disease. In a new study published in PeerJ Life & Environment, Dr. Tadeo Kaweesi and his team at the National Agricultural Research Organization identify potential gene targets that could revolutionize the management of this devastating pest and prove vital for food security in the region.
In the article ("In silico prediction of candidate gene targets ...
Milan (Italy), 23 February 2024 – TWIN is the name of the new robotic exoskeleton for lower limbs, designed and developed by Rehab Technologies IIT – INAIL, the joint laboratory between the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT-Italian Institute of Technology) and the Prosthetic Center of INAIL (the prosthetic unit of the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work), which will allow patients to wear it more easily. Presented today in Milan during a press conference held at the Museum of Science and Technology, TWIN was demonstrated ...
Lockdown drills, practiced to help prepare children for shooting incidents at school, make those who have been exposed to violence feel safer – a new study of thousands of students in the US indicates.
The finding, reported in a new peer-reviewed paper published in the Journal of School Violence, contradicts claims that the drills traumatize children, without making them feel safer.
Ensuring that students feel safe – and are safe – in schools is essential for them to learn and thrive, explains ...
t’s official. Getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep a night is currently out of reach for almost one-third of the population as Flinders University experts found 31% of adults had average sleep durations outside the recommended range.
The global study of thousands of adults published in Sleep Health found only 15% of people slept the recommended 7-9 hours for five or more nights per week – and among those who did achieve an average of 7-9 hours per night over the nine month monitoring period, about 40% ...
In recent news, there has been a case where a patient experienced pain due to a surgical procedure involving sutures, resulting in the unintended presence of gauze within the patient's body. Gauze is typically employed to control bleeding during medical interventions, aiding in hemostasis. However, when inadvertently left in the body, it can lead to inflammation and infection. Addressing this issue, recent research has been published by researchers focusing on a hemostatic agent derived from mussels and silkworm cocoons. This hemostatic agent has garnered attention in the academic community due to its efficacy in clotting blood and its safety within ...
