Article: Novel bacteria have a taste for aluminum. (bacterium discovered that may depend on aluminum for its growth)

Although aluminum is the most abundant metal in Earth's crust, no living organism has been known to utilize it. In fact, this ubiquitous element is often considered toxic: Aluminum-contaminated soil can dramatically reduce yields of many crops, for example.

Now, as a result of a chance encounter on a hike in Yellowstone National Park, a research group believes it has found a bacterium that requires aluminum to thrive.

Some scientists are less convinced, drawing caution from a history of unconfirmed claims of a biological role for the metal. "Skepticism is the best place to start," says microbiologist Simon D. Silver of the University of Illinois at ...

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