(Above: Sewage-eaters aren't quite as cute as these guys.)
According to this article, a sewage treatment plant in Germany has found a way to make its microbes work harder. It lets them listen to music. Mozart's Magic Flute, to be specific.
While the microbes dine, music is played over a loud-speaker at the plant. Mozart-loving microbes eat more sewage, which means the plant produces more clean water and less sludge. Thanks to Mozart, the plant saved over 10,000 euros last year.
So microbes like classical music. If I think about that too much, my head might explode.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. "Scientists have developed fluorescent bacteria that encode secret messages, creating a living invisible ink." I need to lie down now.
6 comments:
I wonder if microbes like techno too...
How cool! Proves classical music is useful. :)
It's like playing classical music to children to make them smarter.
We'd need about six identical sewage plants. One will have Mozart. One will feature Camille Saint-Saens. One will play Glenn Miller, Stan Keaton and other "Big Band" records. There will be a Rap/Hip-Hop bacteria cohort as well. Then we'll have some bacterial listening to debates from the United States House of Representatives (or the UK's Parliament, or Japan's Diet). Finally, some of these helpful microorganisms are going to get the silent treatment.
Robert in San Diego, where sewage is always a problem.
lol those microbe plushes! My biotech teacher has a bunch of those in his classroom >< I'm not sure how microbes hear the music since they don't really have parts that enable them to hear, but maybe they do and we don't know! XD
So I've been searching the internet for days, trying to find a current event to write about for an honors application for college (I'm planning on being a music tech major) and couldn't find anything. Out of frustration I came to your blog to take a break, and, behold! the perfect article! You never cease to amaze me, Kirsten. Thanks!
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