A team of researchers has discovered that a common fungus, Fusarium oxysporum, has the ability to transform certain metals into gold. The results of this study have been published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, generating great excitement in the scientific community and the mining industry.
The special fungus capable of converting metal particles into gold
The discovery is attributed to the extraordinary properties of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum, a species abundant in Australian forest ecosystems. Led by scientist Tsing Bohu, the team from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) demonstrated the organism’s ability to convert certain minerals into gold particles.
The key experiment involved mixing strains of the fungus with dust from a meteorite in the asteroid belt. The scientists were surprised to see how the fungus not only absorbed the minerals present in the meteorite dust, but also transformed them into tiny amounts of gold.
Although the quantities obtained were small, the efficiency of the process was significantly high, exceeding what was previously observed in similar experiments.
The initial surprise among the researchers was palpable. “Gold is so chemically inert that this type of interaction is unusual. I had to see it with my own eyes to believe it,” Bohu said, reflecting the general amazement at the discovery.
Although fungi were known for their ability to decompose organic matter and interact with metals such as iron, calcium, and aluminum, recent research reveals an even more surprising ability of Fusarium oxysporum: detecting and incorporating gold into its own biological structure. This natural process triggers a form of bioproduction of the coveted metal.
This phenomenon falls within an emerging field of research known as metabolic mining. This discipline seeks to harness the power of living organisms, such as bacteria and fungi, to extract valuable mineral resources — in this case, gold — in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner, in contrast to traditional methods that often cause serious ecological damage.
Metabolic mining isn’t limited to the extraction of terrestrial resources; it also opens up the fascinating possibility of extracting valuable minerals from celestial bodies like asteroids.
According to the Asterank database, although only a fraction of asteroids contain minerals worth more than $1.5 billion, there is growing interest in genetically modifying strains of these fungi to optimize their ability to process the resources present in space.