Mining pollution, when not properly dealt with, can have devastating effects on the environment: Mine waste, heavy metals, and acidic water often find their way to streams and rivers, polluting the headwaters of more than 40 percent of Western watersheds. In fact, according to the EPA, metal mines generated nearly 2 billion pounds of toxic waste in just 2017.
In response to this growing problem, a team of researchers led by biotechnologist Nadac Reales from Chile may have discovered a possible solution that could help clean up the country's highly polluting mining industry by demonstrating that a special type of bacteria can eat a nail in three days when it's starving.
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