Skip to main content
Scientific American
  • Cart 0
  • Forgot password?Loading
    Not yet registered?
  • |Newsletters
Advanced Search
  • COVID
  • Health
  • Mind & Brain
  • Environment
  • Technology
  • Space & Physics
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Store
  • Subscribe
  • Current Issue
  • Cart0
  • Sign In
  • Newsletters
      • Share
      • Latest

      Meet the Microbes Eating the Gulf Oil Spill [Slide Show]

      These microscopic life forms are blooming as a result of the oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico from the Macondo 252 deep-sea well

      • Share on Facebook
      • Share on Twitter
      • Share on Reddit
      • Share on LinkedIn
      • Share via Email
      • Print
      Meet the Microbes Eating the Gulf Oil Spill [Slide Show]
      Slideshow (7) images
      View
      Credits: Courtesy of Bangor University

      Meet the Microbes Eating the Gulf Oil Spill [Slide Show]

        • Share
      • THALASSOLITUUS OLEIVORANS: Much like A. borkumensis , T. oleivorans makes its living by turning the alkanes in oil into microbial cells, CO2 and water—and can be found from the Black Sea to the Gulf of Mexico, as can other members of the Thalassolituus genus... Courtesy of Michail M. Yakimov / International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology
      • NEPTUNOMONAS (GENUS): Some members of this genus attack the carcinogenic constituents found in most oil deposits—the aforementioned polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons—and can be found throughout the planet's oceans... Courtesy of Masayuki Miyazaki / International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology
      • OLEISPIRA (GENUS): Another alkane eater (like A. borkumensis ), various Oleispira turn oil into more and more Oleispira cells, along with carbon dioxide and water. One unintended side effect can be local "dead zones," as the industrious microbial consortia, like the one pictured here, consume much of the dissolved oxygen in the seawater as they feast on the oil... Courtesy of Bangor University
      • OCEANOSPIRILLALES (ORDER): This order of microbes—part of the Proteobacteria phylum, named after the shape-shifting Greek god Proteus—assume a number of forms and roles in eliminating an oil spill. The most famous oil-eating member of the order is the aforementioned A... Courtesy of Expedition Zone
      • Advertisement
      • COLWELLIA (GENUS): This clan of oil-eating microbes can be found from cold Arctic and Antarctic waters to the balmy seas of the Gulf of Mexico. It also has the ability to thrive in a variety of habitats, from marine sediments to Arctic sea ice—making it one of the more adaptable spill fighters... Richard A. Finkelstein / NCBI
      • DREDGING FOR CYCLOCLASTICUS: Some of the most dangerous constituents of an oil spill are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons—volatile molecules that can be highly toxic. Fortunately, at least 23 strains of the bacterial genus Cycloclasticus native to the Gulf of Mexico can degrade such nasty oil constituents by tapping them for energy... Courtesy of Washington State Department of Ecology
      • ALCANIVORAX BORKUMENSIS: A rod-shaped bacterium, A. borkumensis has played a role in oil spill cleanups from Alaska ( Exxon Valdez ) to the Mediterranean waters near Spain ( Prestige ). Although it persists in low numbers at all times, the bacterium blooms after an oil spill—and has the ability to both break down the alkanes that make up part of the oil as well as spread a biodispersant that helps other microbes feast on other constituents of the spill... Courtesy of Heimholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI)
      • Previous
      • Next
      of
      • View all
      • Link copied!
      • THALASSOLITUUS OLEIVORANS:
      • NEPTUNOMONAS (GENUS):
      • OLEISPIRA (GENUS):
      • OCEANOSPIRILLALES (ORDER):
      • COLWELLIA (GENUS):
      • DREDGING FOR CYCLOCLASTICUS:
      • ALCANIVORAX BORKUMENSIS:
      Advertisement
      Advertisement

      Newsletter

      Get smart. Sign up for our email newsletter.

      Sign Up

      Support Science Journalism

      Discover world-changing science. Explore our digital archive back to 1845, including articles by more than 150 Nobel Prize winners.

      Subscribe Now!Support Science Journalism

      Follow us

      • instagram
      • soundcloud
      • youtube
      • twitter
      • facebook
      • rss

      Scientific american arabic

      العربية
      • Return & Refund Policy
      • About
      • Press Room
      • FAQs
      • Contact Us
      • Site Map
      • Advertise
      • SA Custom Media
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • California Consumer Privacy Statement
      • Use of cookies/Do not sell my data
      • International Editions
      Scientific American is part of Springer Nature, which owns or has commercial relations with thousands of scientific publications (many of them can be found at www.springernature.com/us). Scientific American maintains a strict policy of editorial independence in reporting developments in science to our readers.

      © 2023 Scientific American, a Division of Springer Nature America, Inc.

      All Rights Reserved.

      Scroll To Top

      Support science journalism.

      Scientific American paper issue and on tablet

      Thanks for reading Scientific American. Knowledge awaits.

      Already a subscriber? Sign in.

      Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue.

      Create Account

      See Subscription Options

      Continue reading with a Scientific American subscription.

      You may cancel at any time.

      Sign in.