Anticontamination bacteria

1991/06/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Mikrobiologia
• Ingurumena

The development of common research programs between Japan and the US began three years ago. A completely new collaboration program has recently been introduced. It is intended to find a microorganism that degrades residual oils and other chemical contaminants.

The project will last five years and will cost 15 million dollars. They will pay the budget equally between Americans and Japanese and the same will happen with the 20 researchers who will work, that is, half will be Japanese and the other half will be American.

For many years, Japanese and Americans have been in full competition. However, since a basic agreement for the development of science and technology was signed between them in 1988, this project will be the most important.

James Tiedje of the University of Michigan says that microbes are the ones that consume the last residue of all natural organic products. It is therefore about creating microbes that, from genetic engineering and evolution in the knowledge of microbes, can degrade human pollutants.