It’s a small, small world: Meet the microbes cleaning up the Gowanus Canal
Despite heavy pollution, the Gowanus Canal harbors a thriving microbial ecosystem actively degrading toxic compounds. Assistant Professor Elizabeth Hénaff, who led a research project to understand the Canal’s microbiome, called the discovery “kind of poetic,” adding, “From a human perspective, this environment is totally forsaken...but from a microbial perspective, they’re thriving and doing really good work.” Their findings could inspire new, less disruptive biotechnological methods for environmental cleanup amid ongoing Superfund efforts.
Researchers
Elizabeth Hénaff
Assistant Professor
