The sea is constantly throw up foreign things that are seemingly made just to surprise scientist . Take a look at this new discovery : a bacterium found in marine sponges that make toxic compounds “ near identical ” to contrived fire retardants , just like the stuff you find in fire fighter uniform or electronics .
The find was made by a team led by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego . The fresh studyappears on the cover of the May issue of the journalNature Chemical Biology .
This powerful grouping of chemical compound is known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers ( PBDE ) . We have known that these compounds have been in the world ’s ocean for up to 50 age . However , their origin had always been a puzzle .
“ For many age scientist were finding clues that suggested nature was bring in these compound , ” aged author Bradley Moore said ina statement . “ Now that we understand how they are produced in the marine environs , we are exploring why they survive , and the human health concerns associated with them . ”
The team garner 18Dysideidaesponges from the tropical water around Guam in the Western Pacific . Once back at the lab , they manage to isolate the specific cistron and enzymes that code for the production of PBDEs .
“ For the first prison term we were able to once and for all show that factor and enzyme produced in bacterium from sponges are creditworthy for the production of these compound toxic to human , ” study co - first source Vinayak Agarwal say in the statement .
The study of the bacteria produce chemicals very similar to industrial chemicals is n’t just a strange curiosity , it ’s also pretty authoritative . After all , they are highly toxic to humans . Naturally bring forth PBDEs are often detected in marine creature , as well as in human tissue , paint a picture that they bioaccumulate along the food chain and transfer to humans .
TheEnvironmental Protection Agency explainsthat “ PBDE congeners are haunting , bioaccumulative , and toxic to both humans and the environs . The vital endpoint of concern for human health is neurobehavioral effect . ” Their cogitation notes that nature is a remarkably “ prolific manufacturer of polyhalogenated organic compound ” let in these PBDEs are even more toxic that their human - made counterparts .
" This study is a powerful combination of chemical , biological and environmental enquiry , " add Henrietta Edmonds of the NSF ’s Division of Ocean Sciences , who helped to support the research . " It has the potential to help us understand the production , fate and wellness consequences of rude and pollutant compounds in the marine environment . "
Why some of these bacteria produce the PBDE stay on a closed book , however . It also remains to be envision whether the bacteria is fire - proof .
