Scientists at the University of California, Irvine have shown E.coli can do more than keep you sick in bed for days. In a new study, researchers demonstrated that the bacterium can detect heavy metal contamination in water. … “This new water monitoring method is highly sensitive, fast and versatile,” said co-author Regina Ragan, UCI professor of materials science and engineering. “It allowed the algorithms to determine if drinking water was within U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization recommend limits for each contaminant with greater than 96 percent accuracy and with 92 percent accuracy for treated wastewater.” Read More