hyperallergic – In these epidemic days, it’s easy to paint all microbial organisms in a bad light, but some bacteria are chiseling out a reputation in marble restoration. Over the last year, a team of scientists, historians, and art restorers applied the breakthrough cleaning technique of using a bacterium called Serratia ficaria SH7 to eat away at contaminants in the marble statuary, tombs, and architecture of the chapel designed by Michelangelo to house the remains of Italy’s powerful Medici family. – read more
