Scientists have learned how to use helpful bacteria to clean and restore great art from the past. It all started back in the 1990s when Giancarlo Ranalli, a microbiology expert, was working with a team of restorers attempting to undo the damage done to the Camposanto Monumentale, a historic cemetery full of original plaster paintings and carvings. Restoration of the site proved to be extremely difficult due to animal glues used on the artifacts, and the chemicals traditionally used in such projects had little to no effect. Finally, someone on the project asked Ranalli a question: “Dr. Ranalli, can’t you do anything with your bugs?” And so, Ranalli experimented with various “bugs” until he landed on one that did the exact thing he wanted it to do: consume all the organic material, leaving the stone beneath it untouched. The bacteria accomplished what decades of restoration attempts had failed at. The Italian National Agency for New Technologies (ENEA) then performed a “biocleaning” on tombs in Florence created by Michelangelo, to remove centuries of gunk and grime from the stone. The restored statues are just one more piece of evidence that this type of art restoration is potentially far more effective than anything ever used in the past. And best of all, it’s organic. The bacteria do their thing and then they’re removed, leaving nothing behind but restored art. It is truly a fascinating example of what is possible when the power of the natural world is harnessed. Learn more https://inhabitat.com/scientists-are-cleaning-art-with-bacteria/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-team-art-restorers-using-bacteria-clean-michelangelos-sculptures-180977866/