"Wired" Bacteria Clean Up Nuclear Waste, Michigan State University Study

Researchers have unraveled the mystery of how microbes generate electricity while cleaning up nuclear waste, a finding that could prove beneficial at contaminated sites. “Geobacter bacteria are tiny micro-organisms that can play a major role in cleaning up polluted sites around the world,” says Gemma Reguera, a microbiologist at Michigan State University. “Uranium contamination can be produced at any step in the production of nuclear fuel, and this process safely prevents its mobility and the hazard for exposure.”