Can Artificial Lifeforms Capture Carbon to Create New Fuels?

The discovery of DNA is one of the most important events in the history of mankind, allowing us to access the program that writes what we are - but what's the point in perfecting ourselves while the planet dies around us?  That's the question asked by Dr Craig Venter, and he believes he has the answer. Venter is regarded as one of the leading scientists of the 21st century for his contributions to genomic research.

Genomics, the science and practice of controlling DNA, means we aren't restricted to just analyzing organisms that already exist.  Instead we can create our own creatures to perform new functions, and while the technologies are still crude so far (more "ramming genes into each other" than "carefully constructed"), for the first time there really is intelligent design involved in the creation of life.

Speaking to BBC One Dr Venter described the incredible carbon emission problem facing humanity.  The simple facts are that there are six billion of us, and more are coming, emitting four billion tons of carbon a year, and more is coming, and carbon in the atmosphere causes a greenhouse effect.  These are not vague theories: these are scientific facts which spell disaster for the species and death for our current mode of life.

Venter's suggestion is to embrace our exponentially increasing ability to engineer life, creating armies of bacteria to produce new fuels.  There are already bacterial fuel cells, and engineered organisms which can convert coal into energy far more efficiently than by merely burning it, but Venter sees a future where artificial lifeforms can capture the carbon already in the air and reconstitute it into new fuels.  This approach combines his knowledge of genomics with his known commercial interests (he caused major controversy by trying to patent parts of the human genome in 1991).  Instead of shouting "Down with fossil fuels!", and just hoping that all of human society decides to be run on hugs instead, he's aiming for an actually workable solution.

Dr Venter's for-profit work makes him controversial, but that only means you should listen harder when he talks about real life business.  He believes that genomics is the latest in a long line of disruptive technologies which completely overturn old industries, and he only hopes humanity is smart enough to keep up.

Posted by Luke McKinney.

DNA-Driven World

Comments

[Johny Might]

Wow, are you kidding me??

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[Erik Organic]

Hugs are a renewable energy source, but the EROEI is terrible.

[Steep Gradient]

This is probably B.S.

Also, notice at the end of the second paragraph it says:
"...for the first time there really is intelligent design involved in the creation of life."?
I hate how people make idiotic statements like that, as if they were present when the first life on earth was sparked. They don't really "know" anything, they're just acting like they do, and expecting the general populace to eat their garbage and say "Yum! More please!"

[Matthew Taylor]

"Dr Venter's for-profit work makes him controversial"

Why? if he can create a bacteria that (safely) reduces or prevents excessive atmospheric carbon build-up (and if the worst case scenarios are to be believed, saves the human race) then he deserves to make billions of dollars. The power of the profit motive gets things done.

[Paul Johnson]

"...for the first time there really is intelligent design involved in the creation of life."

Dear Erik Organic I suggest you read The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins. Whether you like it or not science favours evolution not intelligent design. Evolution says nothing about the origin of life but there's no evidence at all for intelligent design.

Venter is a brilliant mand and a multi-millionaire entrepreneur. You make furniture. When I want to buy a furniture I might buy from you. When I want to buy fuel created by an engineered life form Venter may the Bill Gates of that business.

Try to be a little less arrogant.

[bitirim]

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