Laura Hug, Lead Principal Investigator, Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Environmental Microbiology, is featured in the third and final episode of the BBC Radio 4 Series Bacteria: The Tiny Giants.
Bacteria: The Tiny Giants is a series on BBC Radio 4 uncovering the science and magic of bacteria and is hosted by Tim Hayward. Laura is featured in two different episodes of the series: Microbial Cities and New Worlds (episode 1), and Our Interconnected Planet (episode 3).
In the third and final episode, Laura talks about the important role microorganisms play in landfills. She explains how microorganisms break down contaminants and compounds into non-toxic substances, and how microbes are able to adapt to emerging contaminants that take longer to break down than the typical 50 or 100 years that landfills are built for. Laura also talks about the potential for microbial communities to help in mending ecosystems through bioremediation.