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
Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez sued in Florida over alleged kidnapping, torture and terrorism
U.S. citizens have revived a lawsuit in Miami against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro following his capture, as well as against Vice President and now acting leader Delcy Rodríguez and other senior Chavista officials, whom they accuse of kidnapping, torture, and terrorism.
The plaintiffs — including U.S. citizens who were kidnapped in Venezuela and two minors — filed a motion over the weekend before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida asking the court to declare the defendants in default for failing to respond to the lawsuit initially filed on August 14, 2025, according to court documents made public on Monday.
The case, assigned to Judge Darrin P. Gayles, accuses the Venezuelan leaders of violating the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), the Florida Anti-Terrorism Act, and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
In addition to Maduro and Rodríguez, the lawsuit names Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López; Attorney General Tarek William Saab; Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello; former Supreme Court Chief Justice Maikel Moreno; and National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez.
The complaint also lists the state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) and former Electricity Minister Néstor Reverol as defendants.
According to the filing, Maduro “committed flagrant acts of terrorism against U.S. citizens,” citing the criminal case in New York in which Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared in court for the first time on Monday following their arrest on Saturday.
The lawsuit claims that the plaintiffs “were held captive by Maduro” with “illegal material support” from the other defendants, whom it identifies as members of the Cartel of the Suns, a group designated by the United States as a terrorist organization last year.
International
U.S. faces worst flu season in decades as new strain spreads nationwide
The flu continues to take a heavy toll across the United States, with all but four states reporting high or very high levels of activity as a new viral strain known as subclade K continues to spread.
According to another key indicator — doctor visits for fever accompanied by cough or sore throat, common flu symptoms — the U.S. is experiencing its highest level of respiratory illness since at least the 1997–98 flu season, based on data released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“This is definitely a standout year,” said Dr. Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “It’s the worst we’ve seen in at least 20 years. Most of the country is experiencing very high levels of activity, and we are still near the peak.”
Rivers noted that it is unusual to see such a severe flu season following another poor season the previous year, as intense seasons typically do not occur back to back.
Nationwide, approximately 8.2% of doctor visits during the final week of the year were for flu-like symptoms. At the same point last season — which was also severe — that figure stood at 6.7%.
In Massachusetts, where flu activity is reported as very high, health officials urged residents to get vaccinated.
“This is a moment for clarity, urgency, and action,” said Dr. Robbie Goldstein, Commissioner of Public Health, in a press release. “These viruses are serious, dangerous, and potentially deadly. We are seeing critically ill children, families grieving devastating losses, and hospitals under strain due to capacity.”
International
U.S. Energy Secretary to meet oil executives on reviving Venezuela’s crude industry
U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright is set to meet this week with executives from the American oil industry to discuss how to revive Venezuela’s crude oil sector, according to multiple media reports.
The meeting will take place on the sidelines of an energy conference organized by investment banking group Goldman Sachs in Miami.
Senior executives from major U.S. oil companies, including Chevron and ConocoPhillips, are expected to attend the symposium.
Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, estimated at 300 to 303 billion barrels, representing roughly one-fifth of known global reserves.
Following the controversial operation carried out on Saturday to detain Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, U.S. President Donald Trump has placed renewed emphasis on control over and exploitation of Venezuela’s vast oil resources.
Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez sued in Florida over alleged kidnapping, torture and terrorism
U.S. faces worst flu season in decades as new strain spreads nationwide
U.S. Energy Secretary to meet oil executives on reviving Venezuela’s crude industry
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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