Golden mine Fungi or food security disaster?

Fungus that can capture Gold!!  
This is the dream come true of "Alchemists" of all times!!
​But there might be a high price to pay after all... we invite you to watch the video and keep reading!

When I first saw this video and read the Guardian's article, I was fascinated.
First cause Fungi is my passion and second cause this could have a huge impact in the way we are mining today. This could be a good way to avoid major environmental catastrophes and all the pollution that comes along with gold industry.
So, I decided to go further in my research and here is what I found when I read the original Article to this discovery.
Here you can read a short extract of an other Article in the same subject;

​Bioreduction of AuCl4- Ions by the Fungus, Verticillium sp. and Surface Trapping of the Gold Nanoparticles Formed.

"We have demonstrated the reduction of AuCl4 - ions by silanol groups and entrapment of the gold nanoparticles within the pores of mesoporous MCM-41 silicate matrices.[15] To rule out the reduction of AuCl4 - ions by sugars in the cell wall, reaction of the metal ions with different genera of fungi, such as Fusarium oxysporum, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, and Curvularia lunata were carried out in a manner identical to that for Verticillium sp. No intracellular reduction of the AuCl4 - ions was observed in these cases, thus ruling out a nonspecific mechanism for the growth of the nanoparticles. Indeed, that most of the gold nanoparticles are observed to form on the cytoplasmic membrane of Verticillium cells (Figure 3) rules out the role of cell-wall sugars in the reduction of the AuCl4 - ions."

The problem about Fusarium Oxysporum the "Golden Fungus" and this other Fungus Verticillium sp, along with the other species mentioned above in red,  is that they are also responsible of wilt diseases in plants. (Wilting is the loss of rigidity of non-woody parts of plants) and sometimes can even be harmful to humans and insects.

Extracted from Wikipedia;

This Fungal group is responsible for attacking over 300 different cultivated plants and can persist as a saprotrophic soil organism for more than 15 years.
When infecting ornamental trees such as maples, elms, aspen, ash, beech, catalpa, oak, and others, the first symptoms are midsummer wilting on one side of a tree or branch. The sapwood has greenish or brownish streaks, and the infection can take a few years to progress to the rest of the tree or move rapidly. The fungi universally move up the xylem vessels. In fruit trees, the infection is known as a black heart, and is common in apricots and sometimes affects almond, peach, plum, and avocado trees. 
First identified from potatoes in Germany in 1870, this fungus also affects herbaceous ornamentals and vegetables such as chrysanthemums, mints, Lychnis spp., tomatoes, eggplants, okra, and rhubarb, causing wilting and death.

The genus, currently thought to contain 51 species, may be broadly divided into three ecologically based groups - mycopathogens, entomopathogens, and plant pathogens and related saprotrophs.
However, the genus has undergone recent revision into which most entomopathogenic and mycopathogenic isolates fall into a new group called Lecanicillium. 
The genus now includes the plant-pathogenic species V. dahliae, V. longisporum, V. albo-atrum, V. nubilum, and V. tricorpus.

Verticillium wilt begins as a mild, local infection, which over a few years will grow in strength as more virile strains of the fungus develop. If left unchecked the disease will become so widespread that the crop will need to be replaced with resistant varieties,(how convenient for monsanto, Syngenta & Co.) or a new crop will need to be planted altogether.

Control of Verticillium can be achieved by planting disease-free plants in uncontaminated soil, planting resistant varieties, and refraining from planting susceptible crops in areas that have been used repeatedly for solanaceous crops. 

Soil fumigation can also be used, with chloropicrin,(how convenient for Bayer & Co.) being particularly effective in reducing disease incidence in contaminated fields.

Just for the record: Chloropicrin is harmful to humans. It can be absorbed systemically through inhalation, ingestion, and the skin. At high concentrations, it is severely irritating to the lungs, eyes, and skin. In World War I German forces used to gas the Allies. (Source FAO).

This fungal "green chemistry" solutions for conventional mining methods could be a great alternative to the huge environmental problems caused by Industrial Mining and could also be an efficient biocontrol against Malaria disease and other innovative medical applications. 

However, medicine could be more dangerous than the illness itself,  we understand so little about the reproduction of this microorganisms, that things could get out of hand easily if this fungi are modified and used out of the Labs.

I hope this new discovery, which seems literally worth its weight in gold, won't become the next food Tchernobyl disaster!
Let's keep an eye on this "innovations".
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Author

Mariana Dominguez Peñalva