Bioremediation articles from across Nature Portfolio

Engineered living materials (ELMs) are emerging as a field at the intersection of materials science and synthetic biology. Here, the authors describe a photosynthetic ELM composed of genetically engineered cyanobacteria in a hydrogel matrix, capable of bioremediation and inducible cell death.

The crucial first step in the biodegradation of polyethylene plastic is oxidation of the polymer. This has traditionally required abiotic pre-treatment, but now Bertocchini and colleagues report two wax worm enzymes capable of catalyzing this oxidation and subsequent degradation at room temperature.

Wu et al. provide mechanistic insight into how the plant symbiotic fungus Metarhizium robertsii can reduce mercury accumulation in soil.

The lack of innovative standards for biosafety in synthetic biology is an unresolved policy gap that limits many potential applications in synthetic biology. We argue that a massive support for standardization in biosafety is required for synthetic biology to flourish.

A study investigating the microbiome of contaminated soil finds that auxilliary metabolic genes of viruses contribute to pesticide degradation.

This month's Genome Watch explores the diverse microbial community involved in the bioremediation of oil spills.