Gold really does grow on trees, researchers discover
"This link between... vegetation growth and buried gold deposits could prove instrumental in developing new technologies for mineral exploration," said a press summary.
Eucalyptus trees can send their roots deep into the ground in search of water in dry areas, even breaking into gold-rich zones, where they absorb microscopic metal particles as they drink.
A team of scientists from Australia said they have now shown that gold can be absorbed by the roots and travel through the tree, all the way to its leaves, though in negligible concentrations.
According to the World Gold Council, more than 174,000 tonnes of gold have been extracted from the earth since the beginning of civilisation.