Gold found inside tree needles in Finland

Technology Jan 05, 2026

Scientists in northern Finland just found actual gold particles inside the needles of Norway spruce trees.
Turns out, microbes living in the trees help turn dissolved gold from the soil into tiny solid bits.
This could open up a cleaner, less disruptive way to find underground gold—no digging or blasting required.

How it works (and why it matters)

The discovery happened near the Kittila gold mine, where trees soak up groundwater filled with gold ions.
Microbes inside the tree tissues naturally turn those ions into real metal over time.
By checking these tree samples for gold, researchers can spot hidden mineral reserves without hurting the environment—a win-win for science and nature.