International
Chilean scientist plans to clean up mining with ‘metal eating’ bacteria
AFP
Starving microorganisms capable of surviving in extreme conditions have already managed to “eat” a nail in just three days.
In Chile, a scientist is testing “metal-eating” bacteria she hopes could help clean up the country’s highly-polluting mining industry.
In her laboratory in Antofagasta, an industrial town 1,100-kilometers north of Santiago, 33-year-old biotechnologist Nadac Reales has been carrying out tests with extremophiles — organisms that live in extreme environments.
Reales came up with her idea while still at university as she was conducting tests at a mining plant using microorganisms to improve the extraction of copper.
“I realized there were various needs in the mining industry, for example what happened with the metallic waste,” she told AFP.
Some metals can be recycled in smelting plants but others, such as HGV truck hoppers that can hold 50 tons of rock, cannot and are often discarded in Chile’s Atacama desert, home to the majority of the country’s mining industry.
Chile is the world’s largest producer of copper, which accounts for up to 15 percent of the country’s GDP, resulting in a lot of mining waste that pollutes the environment.
In her research, Reales, who now runs her own company Rudanac Biotec, concentrated on iron-oxidizing bacteria called Leptospirillum.
She extracted the bacteria from the Tatio geysers located 4,200 meters above sea level, some 350 kilometers from Antofagasta.
The bacteria “live in an acidic environment that is practically unaffected by relatively high concentrations of most metals,” she said.
“At first the bacteria took two months to disintegrate a nail.”
But when starved, they had to adapt and find a way of feeding themselves.
After two years of trials, the result was a marked increase in the speed at which the bacteria “ate,” devouring a nail in just three days.
– Surprising benefit –
Reales says “chemical and microbiological tests” have proved the bacteria are not harmful to humans or the environment.
“We’ve always seen a lot of potential in this project that has already passed an important test in the laboratory,” said Drina Vejar, a microbiologist who is part of a four-person team working with Reales.
“It’s really necessary at this time when we have to plan for a more sustainable development, especially in all these cities with so many polluting industries.”
Mining companies have shown interest in the research but while Rudanac Biotec previously benefitted from a state fund for start-ups, the company needs investment to move on to its next stage of trials.
Reales says she needs money to see if her method will “eat a medium sized beam or a hopper.”
When the disintegration process is complete, what remains is a reddish liquid residue, a solution known as a lixiviant that itself possesses a surprising quality.
“After biodisintegration the product generated (the liquid) can improve the recovery of copper in a process called hydrometallurgy,” said Reales.
Essentially, the liquid residue can be used to extract copper from rock in a more sustainable manner than the current use of chemicals in leaching.
Reales says it means green mining is “totally feasible.”
That is of great interest to mining companies that could use it to improve their large scale extraction of copper or other minerals, while also reducing their pollution, something they are required to do by law.
Reales recently submitted a request for an international patent for her technology, but more importantly she hopes it will help reduce metal waste blotting the landscape in the mining regions of her country.
International
Leopoldo López thanks Spain for fast-track citizenship but says “I am still Venezuelan”
Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López expressed gratitude on Tuesday to the Government of Spain after being granted Spanish citizenship through an expedited process, following the revocation of his Venezuelan nationality by the administration of Nicolás Maduro.
Speaking in Madrid, López acknowledged the gesture but admitted having mixed emotions. “I am grateful to the Spanish government for granting me citizenship, but I have mixed feelings, as do millions of Venezuelans who have had to leave their country. It is not easy,” he said.
The opposition figure highlighted Spain’s role as a refuge for Venezuelans, while emphasizing that his identity remains unchanged. “Spain has been, for me, my family, and hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, a homeland away from home. That does not mean we stop being Venezuelan. I am Venezuelan, I carry Venezuela in my heart, and everything I have done has been for Venezuela,” he added.
López requested Spanish nationality after the Venezuelan government stripped him of his citizenship in October, accusing him of promoting a “military invasion,” a move that left him effectively stateless.
Initially, he applied through the standard process in late 2025 but, unable to meet the requirements, later sought nationality through a special mechanism known as “carta de naturaleza,” with the support of Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares.
To support his application, López submitted documentation from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which determined that he had been a victim of political persecution, arbitrary detention, imprisonment, and other actions by the Venezuelan government.
“For me, this has been a long journey. The persecution by the dictatorship against me began many years ago. I was banned, persecuted, censored, imprisoned, and sentenced to 14 years in prison. I had to escape from Venezuela, from prison,” he said.
Spain’s decision to grant him citizenship through an exceptional procedure was justified by his “very special situation,” including the lack of documentation and legal status.
International
White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment
The White House said Monday that it has not changed its policy toward Cuba, despite allowing a sanctioned Russian oil tanker to deliver fuel to the island on humanitarian grounds.
U.S. officials emphasized that the decision was made as an exception and does not signal a broader shift in policy.
The administration added that similar decisions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on humanitarian considerations.
The clarification comes amid ongoing restrictions related to U.S. sanctions policy, which continue to limit trade and financial flows involving Cuba.
International
Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López
The Spanish government is expected to grant citizenship this Tuesday to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lópezthrough an extraordinary procedure known as “carta de naturaleza.”
The decision will be approved by royal decree, an exceptional legal mechanism used in special cases that require expedited resolution due to specific circumstances.
López has been living in Madrid since 2020, after leaving Venezuela following a prolonged political and legal conflict with the government of Nicolás Maduro.
According to government sources, López currently does not have a valid Venezuelan passport and faces difficulties in having his nationality fully recognized in his home country.
As a result, he applied for Spanish citizenship via a fast-track process at the end of 2025, after previously attempting to obtain it through regular procedures.
The Spanish government justified the move based on López’s international relevance and foreign policy considerations.
López is the leader of the Voluntad Popular party and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, an initiative launched in 2022 alongside figures such as Garry Kasparov and Masih Alinejad.
Leopoldo López thanks Spain for fast-track citizenship but says “I am still Venezuelan”
White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment
Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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