The fossil record documents only a small fraction of all organisms that have ever inhabited Earth. Fossilization is a rare process, and most organisms never become fossils. Moreover, the fossil record only exhibits fossils that have been discovered. Nevertheless, sedimentary rock fossils of long-lived, abundant, hard-bodied organisms dominate the fossil record. These fossils offer valuable information, such as an organism's physical form, behavior, and age. Studying the fossil record helps...

Bioremediation is the use of prokaryotes, fungi, or plants to remove pollutants from the environment. This process has been used to remove harmful toxins in groundwater as a byproduct of agricultural run-off and also to clean up oil spills.

Microbial leaching, also known as bioleaching, is an environmentally favorable method for extracting metals from low-grade ores using specific microorganisms. This biotechnological approach is particularly valuable for mining operations targeting copper, gold, and uranium, where traditional extraction methods may be economically or environmentally impractical.Copper Leaching and Microbial CatalysisIn copper bioleaching, crushed ore is arranged into heaps and irrigated with a dilute sulfuric...

Microorganisms play a critical role in the transformation and immobilization of uranium in contaminated environments through four main pathways: bioreduction, biosorption, bioaccumulation, and biomineralization. These mechanisms reduce uranium’s toxicity and prevent its migration through groundwater systems, offering sustainable approaches for in situ bioremediation.Bioreduction of UraniumBioreduction is driven by anaerobic bacteria such as certain strains of Geobacter and Shewanella, which use...

Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...