Microorganisms That Break
Down Oil
IN 2010, almost five million
barrels (800 million L) of
crude oil leaked into the Gulf
of Mexico after a drilling rig
exploded and sank. Yet,
within months much of the
contamination had
disappeared. How was that
possible?
Consider: Scientific research
has shown that an array of
marine bacteria can break
down the long-chain carbon
molecules present in oil.
Professor Terry Hazen, an
environmental
microbiologist, described
these organisms as “oil-
seeking missiles.” Such
organisms were partly
responsible for what took
place in the Gulf of Mexico,
as described at the outset.
“In a sense, it is no surprise
that the seas should host oil-
hungry microbes,” says a
BBC report on the topic. After
all, “natural seeps from the
ocean floor have been
releasing oil into the world’s
waters” for aeons.
Granted, human efforts in
cleaning oil spills are
productive. Yet, man’s best
efforts to clean up oil spills
may do more harm than
good. Chemical dispersants
interfere with natural
processes that break down
oil. Added to that, such
chemicals are toxic and have
lasting ill effects on the
environment. But nature’s
oil-decomposing capacity,
including oil-hungry
microbes, enables the sea to
activate a self-cleansing
process without the negative
side effects of artificial
methods. *
What do you think? Did the
oil-devouring property of
marine microorganisms
come about by chance? Or
was it designed?