Using microbes to clean up oil spills

Catherine Drennan, a professor of chemistry and biology, likes to wax poetic about the complex chemistry of microbes. "I think they're elegant and beautiful," she says. Of course, she also sees their practical applications. "I love the fact that these microbes can be used for bioremediation in hard-to-reach polluted spots," she says. "Normally, cleaning these delicate environments would upset the balance of living organisms there, but microbes offer a natural way to clean things utilizing chemis