Team:Toulouse France/Attributions
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Laboratory cave
The Lascaux cave has a very sensitive ecosystem. This is the reason why the microbiologists that work on Lascaux treat it with extreme caution and care. They also decided not to act on the cave until they know the exact consequences of the treatments they plan on applying to the cave. Indeed, a simulator has been put in place. It is a sort of laboratory cave where the scientists can experiment various treatments before deciding to use them directly on the cave. It is also a good way to know what damages cause the human visits on the cave’s ecosystem. Moreover, the study of the laboratory caves enables the microbiologists to understand better which characteristics lead to certain ecosystems that were identified in the caves. This could help build a referential on the microorganisms that develop underground. These caves are all located in France, and have similarities with the Lascaux cave in terms of bacterial and fungal population. However, each cave is unique and the microbiologists that work on the cave decided to develop a network of laboratory caves. Each one of them could help respond to a particular issue of the Lascaux cave and all of them combined would tackle all the aspect of the Lascaux cave’s situation.
Other applications for Paleotilis
Our biological solution consists in a modified Bacillus subtilis strain that senses chitin, produces antifungals and uses a predation system to get rid of the bacteria that grows on fungi. This principle was thought for our project, Paleotilis, however, the device could be used for other applications as well. Indeed, in hospitals, fungi of the same type as Ochroconis cause a lot of sanitary issues. The fungus settles on the pipes and may cause infections to patients that require extreme care and sterile healing conditions. A device like Paleotilis would be a great way to get rid of the microorganisms that threaten the health of the convalescent. Its application is local and the surface of the area to treat can be controlled.
The Lascaux cave has a very sensitive ecosystem. This is the reason why the microbiologists that work on Lascaux treat it with extreme caution and care. They also decided not to act on the cave until they know the exact consequences of the treatments they plan on applying to the cave. Indeed, a simulator has been put in place. It is a sort of laboratory cave where the scientists can experiment various treatments before deciding to use them directly on the cave. It is also a good way to know what damages cause the human visits on the cave’s ecosystem. Moreover, the study of the laboratory caves enables the microbiologists to understand better which characteristics lead to certain ecosystems that were identified in the caves. This could help build a referential on the microorganisms that develop underground. These caves are all located in France, and have similarities with the Lascaux cave in terms of bacterial and fungal population. However, each cave is unique and the microbiologists that work on the cave decided to develop a network of laboratory caves. Each one of them could help respond to a particular issue of the Lascaux cave and all of them combined would tackle all the aspect of the Lascaux cave’s situation.
Other applications for Paleotilis
Our biological solution consists in a modified Bacillus subtilis strain that senses chitin, produces antifungals and uses a predation system to get rid of the bacteria that grows on fungi. This principle was thought for our project, Paleotilis, however, the device could be used for other applications as well. Indeed, in hospitals, fungi of the same type as Ochroconis cause a lot of sanitary issues. The fungus settles on the pipes and may cause infections to patients that require extreme care and sterile healing conditions. A device like Paleotilis would be a great way to get rid of the microorganisms that threaten the health of the convalescent. Its application is local and the surface of the area to treat can be controlled.
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