Mineral Exploration is the official publication of the Association of Mineral Exploration British Columbia.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/225045
and to then develop bioreactors in which to grow and use these microbes. Microbes live in diverse environments, including those that are extreme with heavy amounts of toxic metals, strong acids, sulphurous compounds and other chemicals. Baldwin looks for microbes thriving in these harsh environments that can trans13-11-07 11:19 AM form mine-related toxic compounds into more benign forms. The challenge is learning about the conditions under which these microbes thrive and being able to replicate these in bioreactors that can be used by mining companies. Another part of the research into bioremediation involves genomics scientists, mining experts and environmental remediation specialists tracking existing populations of micro-organisms, over time and in changing environmental conditions, monitoring and gauging their effect on the composition of the microbial community. Blue Coast Group.indd 1 Industry connections Through Genome BC-funded projects, Baldwin is currently working with two Association for Mineral Exploration BC corporate members – Teck Resources Limited and Imperial Metals – to gather the data on the micro-organisms that live and thrive in contaminated mine water and to find ways to apply this knowledge to help improve mining safety and quality. The team is pioneering applications from a new field of genomics known as metagenomics, a technology in which Genome BC has already made significant investments. Metagenomics enables the study of genetic material recovered directly from environmental samples to understand communities of micro-organisms and how to optimize them for use in specific industries. For example, the water-quality project funded by Genome Canada and Genome BC, "Applied Metagenomics of the Watershed Microbiome," uses metagenomics to assess environmental microbial communities in watersheds. Outcomes from this research project will develop tools for assessing water quality and the 36 p34-37_GenomeBC.indd 36 w i n t e r 2 013 13-11-27 10:02 AM