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Chapter 19
Example: Finding
Microbes to Clean
Up Oil Spills
Scott Spangler, Zarath Summers, and Adam Usadi
T
with millions of microbial species in a vast
soup of life. Some microbes are “aerobic,” meaning they require oxy-
gen for respiration in order to metabolize nutrients. Other microbes are
“anaerobic,” meaning they use other atoms as electron acceptors dur-
ing respiration, hence they can live in places that are depleted of oxygen.
Furthermore, some of these microbes can metabolize hydrocarbons—
the stu of crude oil. Crude oil can be an environmental pollutant, both
through the natural seepage of small amounts that accu ...