At an old steel site in Pittsburgh, bacteria evolved to survive—and eat—industrial pollution

Across Appalachia and the Rust Belt region, including throughout the city of Pittsburgh, former industrial sites are being transformed into new neighborhoods, research centers and technology hubs.

The short version

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• But another transformation has been taking place beneath them for decades.
• Brownfields are former industrial or commercial sites.

What happened

Redevelopment there can be complicated by pollution. They're often defined by what was left behind: abandoned factories, vacant land and soil contaminated with carcinogenic compounds.

Why it matters

But beneath the surface, brownfields remain living ecosystems.

Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Phys.org via the links above and below.