Printed circuit board makers, usually obsessed with removing any bugs from their circuits, may in future rely on a bug to cut down their cost and save them from fines for contaminating the environment. Scientists at the University of Abertay Dundee have discovered a bacterium whose idea of a hearty meal is devouring the maximum possible amount of copper. This makes the bug – still to be named – a highly unusual beast since copper poisons most living organisms. According to the Financial Times, the bacteria has great potential in cleaning up contaminated water used to rinse off excess copper from PCBs since existing methods such as electroplating are both inefficient and expensive.
