Mercury is altering gene expression
Tuesday, August 15, 2017 - 10:32
in Biology & Nature
Mercury causes severe neurological disorders in people who have consumed highly contaminated fish. Whereas we know about the element's extreme toxicity, what happens further down the food chain, all the way down to those microalgae that are the first level and the gateway for mercury? By employing molecular biology tools, a team of researchers measured the way mercury affects the gene expression of algae, even when its concentration in water is very low.