#arsenic-biomineralization

[ follow ]
Science
fromwww.nature.com
1 day ago

This Deep-Sea Worm Creates a Toxic Yellow Pigment Found in Rembrandt and Cezanne Paintings

Paralvinella hessleri forms a protective microscopic orpiment armour by concentrating arsenic on its skin that reacts with vent sulfide, shielding it from toxicity.
fromNature
1 day ago

This deep-sea worm creates a toxic yellow pigment found in Rembrandt and Cezanne paintings

The hot, mineral-rich water that shoots up from the sea floor contains high levels of toxic sulfide and arsenic. Researchers found that the worm accumulates microscopic particles of arsenic on its outer skin cells as well as along its internal organs. This reacts with sulfide from the hydrothermal vent to form small clumps of orpiment, fashioning a microscopic armour around the worm that protects it from the toxic environment.
Science
[ Load more ]