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By A.J. Roan
Metal Tech News 

Microbes mine metals, make soil on ISS

Space station studies show promising results, sustainability Metal Tech News – Nov. 18, 2020

 

Last updated 7/10/2022 at 2:54pm

ISS microbes REE biomining NASA BioRock UK Center for Astrobiology

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Aboard the ISS, a research team conducted experiments using microbes to break down rocks to extract precious materials.

Drifting some 250 miles above the Earth, researchers aboard the International Space Station have enlisted the help from some of the smallest miners in the universe, microbes. These off-world experiments tested the possibility of using these tiny organisms to convert unsuitable space rock and regolith into soil for growing plants and food, as well as extracting valuable minerals and metals from...



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