TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - BIOTECHNOLOGY - Preferred Method: Producing precious metals comprises: (a) placing metallic silver in an aqueous solution; (b) adding a species of Saccharomyces to the aqueous solution such the when the species of Saccharomyces comes in contact with the metallic silver, at least a portion of the species of Saccharomyces transforms into a mutant microbe that includes clusters of precious metal atoms within its cytoplasm and forms a layer comprising a trace amount of nanogold particles on the metallic silver; and (c) recovering the cluster of precious metal atoms from the mutant microbe. Recovering the cluster of precious metal atoms includes extracting the precious metal atoms from biomass of dead mutant microbes. The precious metal is silver. The silver is 1 micron particles to silver bars. Producing precious metals comprises: (a) placing metallic silver in an aqueous solution; (b) adding a species of Saccharomyces to the aqueous solution such the when the species of Saccharomyces comes in contact with the metallic silver, at least a portion of the species of Saccharomyces transforms into a mutant microbe that interacts with the metallic silver and forms a layer comprising a trace amount of nanogold particles on the metallic silver; and (c) contacting a mineral ore with an aqueous solution including the mutant microbe. Producing oil products from a sedimentary organic rock, heavy oil, and a biomass, comprises: (a) placing metallic silver in an aqueous solution; (b) adding a species of Saccharomyces to the aqueous solution such the when the species of Saccharomyces comes in contact with the metallic silver, at least a portion of the species of Saccharomyces transforms into a mutant microbe that interacts with the metallic silver and forms a layer comprising a trace amount of nanogold particles on the metallic silver; and (c) contacting at least one of the sedimentary organic rock, the heavy oil and the biomass with the mutant microbe. The sedimentary organic rock is oil shale or oil sands. The biomass is dead mutant microbes. SPECIFIC MICROORGANISMS - The microbe is Saccharomyces cerevisiae (claimed).    EXAMPLE - No suitable example given.