Bacteria Breakthrough Could Simplify Rare Earth Element Processing

Penn State scientists have discovered a new mechanism by which bacteria can select between different rare earth elements. That is using the ability of a bacterial protein to bind to another unit of itself, or ‘dimerize,’ when it is bound to certain rare earths, but prefer to remain a single unit, or ‘monomer,’ when bound to others. The research paper reporting the discovery has been published in the journal Nature. Penn State researchers have discovered a protein found naturally in a bacterium (Hansschlegelia quercus)…