<p>On April 20, 2010, the BP Deepwater Horizon drilling platform collapsed and sank in the Gulf of Mexico, causing one of the largest oil spills in history. One of the big dilemmas in responding to the oil spil is how to clean up the oil itself. One way currently under research is to use bacteria that naturally break down oil. USGS microbiologists have collected pre-spill samples of aquatic bacteria, such as the one shown, that can be identified and analyzed to determine whether or not they will be effective in cleaning up the oil.
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Visit <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://usgs.gov/deepwater_horizon">usgs.gov/deepwater_horizon</a> for more information related to the USGS efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/27784370@N05">U.S. Geological Survey</a> from Reston, VA, USA
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/usgeologicalsurvey/4817491971/">Aquatic Bacteria Samples</a>