Micro oil guzzlers.

• Position: Environment - Microbes used in oil spill cleanup called Alcanivorax - Brief article

Among the hidden stars of the cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico is an oil-hungry bacterium whose name sounds like something from a Dr. Seuss story--Alcanivorax. Scientists say Alcanivorax and other helpful microbes are breaking down a significant amount of the 172 million gallons of oil that gushed into the Gulf from BP's runaway well. The process is called biodegradation. On April 20, an explosion aboard a drilling rig working on a well for the oil company BP led to the largest accidental spill in history. BP capped the well in July, and is working on two relief wells that should permanently stop...