One of the landers contained a small reactor designed to encourage the growth of micro-organisms.
And, also unlike conventional plastics, they are eminently digestible (at least to micro-organisms) after use.
On Earth there are micro-organisms that can live, and even thrive, in acidic water, even battery acid.
Micro-organisms - known in the trade as starter cultures - are added to milk in the manufacture of cheeses.
It also contains a bioluminescent bay, featuring micro-organisms which glow in the dark.
It produces lethal vibrations in the protein coat of micro-organisms, thereby destroying them.
However, according to the researchers, a clue may lie in the fact that micro-organisms, too, work in mysterious ways.
The guidance also says that micro-organisms from carcasses could enter local water supplies.
And since a huge majority of micro-organisms (by some estimates, 97%) cannot be cultured, that sounded like a great idea.
Once triggered by sunlight, clothing made out of the fabric will be able to rid itself of dirt, pollutants and micro-organisms.
Current ultraviolet light laser treatments can kill micro-organisms - but cannot be used in humans as they would also damage cells in the body.
Failure to complete a course of antibiotics can also give micro-organisms - which may remain after symptoms have vanished - a chance to develop resistance.
Micro-organisms and animal life will be no more affected than before.
Dr Palsson and his colleagues at Genomatica are now applying the same modelling methods to other micro-organisms, including human pathogens and micro-organisms used in industrial processes.
No doubt the virus-writers and hackers will find new ways to attack these novel defence mechanisms, just as micro-organisms can evolve their way around immune responses.
This was a round-the-world cruise taken by Craig Venter on his yacht, Sorcerer II, which studied the diversity of micro-organisms in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans.
These micro-organisms are pumped into the oily water 24-hours a day and it is hoped that in a year all of the oil will have been eaten.
Nor is Phoenix equipped to detect micro-organisms, though it will be able to sniff out organic molecules if these are around, and that will be a tantalising clue.
Sure, we understand that all milk must be heat-treated or pasteurized to kill off harmful micro-organisms (in 1987 the FDA mandated pasteurization of all milk products for human consumption).
In recent years, they have found ways to encode trademarks in cells and poetry in bacteria, as well as store snippets of music in the genetic code of micro-organisms.
WSJ: Scientists Store King Speech, Shakespeare Sonnets in DNA
For micro-organisms, after all, evolution is not just a matter for the textbooks, but the only way to fight back against hostile thermostats and molecules, to say nothing of virologists.
In most cases it takes these bags two years to break down, allowing even small fragments to be consumed by micro-organisms who are able to access the carbon and hydrogen.
"The spread of pathogens on textiles and plastics is a growing concern, especially in healthcare facilities and hotels, which are ideal environments for the proliferation and spread of very harmful micro-organisms, " said Dr Locklin.
It also means that any micro-organisms trapped in the lake will have been isolated for such a long time that they might have evolved in intriguing ways, in order to survive in such unusual conditions.
There was little change in micro-organisms present in the mice who had had sham operations, even though the group on the low-calorie diet lost just as much weight as the mice who had had the bypass surgery.
BBC: Bacteria find 'key to treating obesity without surgery'
Micro-organisms on Earth are much more common in fresh water than acidic water, and so rather than Mars just having been a potential haven for some extreme forms of life, Curiosity's discovery means that Mars had -- and still preserves evidence of -- environments that were habitable for an enormous variety of micro-organisms that thrive on our own planet.
Both micro- and macro-organisms at vent locations can withstand extreme toxicity and pressure.
That led him to work with Kashefi, whose research focuses micro organisms, specifically metal-reducing organisms.
FORBES: FOCUS: 'Microbial Alchemy' Produces Gold From Toxic Chemical
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