Scientists Successfully Mine Meteorites for Precious Metals on International Space Station
Good News Network • • science
Key Points:
- Scientists aboard the ISS successfully extracted platinum and palladium from L-chondrite meteorite samples using microbes, demonstrating a method called "bioleaching" that is more effective in microgravity than on Earth.
- The microbes produce carboxylic acids that bind to precious metals, allowing these elements to be separated when placed in a liquid solution.
- Research from Cornell and Edinburgh universities confirmed that microgravity enhances the fungus Penicillium simplicissimum’s ability to bioleach metals, while nonbiological leaching is less effective in space.
- This microbial extraction method offers a promising, cost-effective approach for harvesting valuable metals from asteroids and moon dust, which could support future space missions.
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