24-Carat Gold Made From 'Worthless' Bacteria

A team of professors, scientists, and students at Michigan State University has done the impossible. The group has created 24-carat gold – nearly 99.9 percent pure gold – from bacteria.

Yes, you read that correctly. Bacteria produced pure gold.

Kazem Kashefi, assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, along with Adam Brown, associate professor of electronic art and intermedia have stumbled upon a game-changing discovery in the realm of science and investing.

Using the extremophile bacteria (one that thrives in extreme conditions) Cupriavidus metallidurans, these gentlemen were able to manipulate the bacteria intro producing 24-carat gold! This particular microbe thrives especially well in metallic environments, a key characteristic in making the alchemy process possible at all using the microbe.

Professor Kashefi himself ecstatically said they were able to literally create gold “from something that has no value into a solid, precious metal that's valuable.”

According to The Blaze, researchers are calling the process “microbial alchemy.” Here's how they achieved the unimaginable:

The men gave the bacteria “unprecedented amounts” of gold chloride, which is a toxic chemical compound, and found not only do the microbes thrive on it, but they can produce gold in a relatively quick manner.

In fact, the team created an art installation — The Great Work of the Metal Lover — that includes a portable laboratory (made of course from gold-plated hardware) that can make the gold in front of audiences.

“This is neo-alchemy. Every part, every detail of the project is a cross between modern microbiology and alchemy,” Brown said in a statement. “Science tries to explain the phenomenological world. As an artist, I’m trying to create a phenomenon. Art has the ability to push scientific inquiry.”

This is just another testimony to the limitless possibilities that surround us everyday if we're willing to look for them. Stories like this – turning something worthless into what is considered the world's best investment today – give us hope that we can turn our “worthless investments” into “precious investments” with a little effort in lieu of the widespread economic uncertainty.

As always, gold remains the true safe-haven...

So although this breakthrough discovery is unlikely to solve today's global economic crisis and one can only speculate on how it will affect the gold industry, it's an incredible accomplishment and a refreshing story with a positive message for gold lovers and anyone seeking to turn 'nothing' into something "precious."

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