Berkeley Pit - Extremophiles

Extremophiles

New fungal and bacterial species, discovered by Andrea A. Stierle, and Donald B. Stierle, have been found to have adapted to the harsh conditions inside the pit. Intense competition for the limited resources caused these species to evolve the production of highly toxic compounds to improve survivability; natural products such as Berkeleydione, berkeleytrione and Berkelic acid have been isolated from these organisms which show selective activity against cancer cell lines. Some of these species ingest metals and are being investigated as an alternative means of cleaning the water.