How trees in the Amazon rainforest are spying on illegal gold miners Trees in the Amazon could be used to spy on illegal gold mining operations, according to international researchers, who found that tree rings are able to pick up mercury used in the mining process and show approximately when and where the mercury was released. Mercury is used by illegal mining operations to help in the extraction of tiny gold particles from the soil and is released into the atmosphere, where it can harm the environment and human health. The authors say that using trees as biomonitors can provide a widespread and cheap network to detect illegal mining operations.
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