Engineered Fish and Flies Tackle Mercury Pollution

Rapid Summary

• Mercury pollution in aquatic environments poses significant health risks by bioaccumulating in fish adn the organisms that consume them, including humans.
• Researchers at Macquarie University have genetically engineered zebrafish and fruit flies to convert toxic methylmercury into less harmful elemental mercury, which evaporates as gas.
• Modified zebrafish showed 64% less mercury and fruit flies demonstrated 83% reduction compared to unmodified counterparts,according to findings published in Nature communications.
• Potential applications include using small mercury-resistant fish as self-purifying entities within food chains or deploying modified insects for waste processing in controlled facilities.
• Experts highlight limitations such as reformation of elemental mercury into toxic methylmercury and emphasize targeted use near highly contaminated areas like artisanal gold mining sites.
• Safety concerns around ecological impact could delay field trials; sterilized fish testing in contained lakes is suggested as a precautionary step.

Image Caption: Freshwater zebra danio (Danio rerio), shown above, engineered for environmental filtration.

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