Researchers have found that roots infected with mycorrhizal fungi collected cadmium, chromium, iron, zinc, copper and potassium better than uninfected roots. Such plants could provide a way to remove these metals from contaminated soil. Environmental researcher Kemner thinks the most exciting work is still ahead. He's turned his focus to bacteria and their relationship to soil contaminants. These are very industrious and hardy little creatures.
Bacteria are like little chemical factories, causing chemical reactions to happen.
Kemner is interested in bacteria's role in transporting heavy metals in contaminated soil. With the constant refinements being made in the APS X-ray beam, Kemner and his colleagues are able to focus on smaller and smaller samples. It encourages you to ask questions you never asked before. Environmental science is complex. To foster more synchrotron radiation environmental studies , Argonne, the University of Notre Dame and Michigan State University sponsored a conference in 1999.