LICHENS鈥� tolerance of heavy metals could suggest new ways to mop up
pollution.
Geraldine Sarret and her colleagues at the University of Grenoble in France
used X-ray spectroscopy to study the chemistry of how lichens absorb zinc and
lead. One lichen, Diploschistes muscorum, secreted an organic compound
called oxalate that traps the metals outside the lichen鈥檚 cells (
Environmental Science & Technology, vol 32, p 3325).
鈥淭his is a barrier to toxicity,鈥� says Sarret, now at the University of
Western Ontario in London, Canada. She hopes that by understanding the genetics
behind this, it may be possible to engineer plants that can mop up heavy
metals.
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