Caffeine in Wastewater Is a Tracer for Human Fecal Contamination

Soil Fungi May Help in Lead Remediation Lead contaminates soil in many urban areas. Investigators have discovered that lead can be transformed by multiple soil fungi into a stable form known as chloropyromorphite, suggesting a potential new tool for cleaning up soil lead contamination. This ability of the fungi may help them to survive in contaminated locations. The authors write that “fungal metabolites, particularly organic acids, [may play] an important role in the liberation of mobile lead species,” a discovery that “may be important in other environmental contexts outside those reported in this paper.”