Unlikely element turns up in enzyme; commercial renewable fuels might ultimately result

(American Society for Microbiology) Tungsten is exceptionally rare in biological systems. Thus, it came as a huge surprise to Michael Adams, Ph.D., and his collaborators when they discovered it in what appeared to be a novel enzyme in the hot spring-inhabiting bacterium, Caldicellulosiruptor bescii. This discovery could ultimately lead to commercially viable conversion of cellulosic (woody) biomass to fuels and chemical feedstocks, which could substantially reduce greenhouse emissions.