by Fire_Starter » Thu Oct 11, 2012 3:01 pm
Hate to spoil the fun, but this is in no way "making" gold as so many articles would have you believe. The key substance here is gold chloride, which is quite toxic. However, the name means that the gold is already present. What they've done is create a strain of bacteria that are not only resistant to the highly toxic chemical, but are actually able to process out the nasty bits and leave the pure gold behind.
Again, they are not "making" gold. It's simply another process by which gold can be separated from other substances. No magic is being done or scientific laws being broken. The real story here is toxin-resistant bacteria that thrive in things other life forms would be killed by in short order. This has implications for decontamination of waste sites (or super bacteria to kill us all, take your pick).
Tinnitus<Fire_Starter> Stirspeare: college=failsauce?
<Stirspeare> Fire_Starter: Electoral college etc.
"<WITTY REMARK CENSORED BY REQUEST>"