Metal-Eating "Superworms"!!!!

[roseembolism]

Seriously!  According to the article in Discvoer Magazine:

Newly evolved "superworms" that feast on toxic waste could help cleanse polluted industrial land, a new study says.

These hardcore heavy metal fans, unearthed at disused mining sites in England and Wales, devour lead, zinc, arsenic, and copper.

The earthworms excrete a slightly different version of the metals, making them easier for plants to suck up. Harvesting the plants would leave cleaner soil behind.

So all I want now is for them to grow up to 60' long, and be able to eat concrete blocks, houses, cars, small yappy dogs and the like.  Then it would be a wonderful product of lost bioengineering science to have rampaging (well, actually slowly squirming) through my 'Under the Green Moon' setting.

Comments

[mithriltabby]

“What do you mean, we have to save the world?” asked the young hero.
“Only you can restore the cube-square law and return humans to their rightful destiny...”

[roseembolism.livejournal.com]

The bioengineer looked at the 10,000 pound worm and shook his head in disgust. Currently it more closely resembled a giant elongated pancake, or a hot dog bun that had been stepped on than an annelid terror. With a hollw pop, the skin on the side opened, and a gush of internal fluids began pouring out.

As the giant worm began deflating, the bioengineer made a note on his notepad. "Hmm. Square cube law, no skeleton. OK, that's a design flaw we'll have to work around."

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

Refined metal are in high-energy states, oxidizable or reducible by oxygen or something. I think concrete is low-energy, made of things already oxidized (Calcium carbonate, obviously the carbon is happy.) You might have things dissolving lairs in concrete and limestone and maybe getting something useful (lots of calcium?) but "eating" it for energy seems unlikely.