March 11, 2026
The Ocean’s Secret Cleanup Crew: Microbes That Eat Oil and Pollution
Millions of people see the damage caused by oil spills and plastic pollution, but very few know what happens beneath the surface. In the ocean, microscopic organisms begin responding almost immediately. Certain marine microbes can actually consume hydrocarbons and other pollutants, turning toxic compounds into energy.
Ocean microbes play a surprising role in pollution cleanup. After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, scientists observed massive blooms of oil degrading bacteria that rapidly multiplied as they fed on hydrocarbons released into the water. These microbes act as nature’s chemical recyclers, breaking down pollutants and helping ecosystems recover.
In this episode, we explore how marine microbes break down oil, what scientists learned from major spills, and whether these organisms could help tackle future pollution problems. While microbes can help mitigate damage, they also reveal the limits of nature’s ability to absorb human pollution.
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Transcript
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When oil spills occur, the images that
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dominate the news are
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coated birds, damaged coastlines,
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and blackened water. But beneath the
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surface, something
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remarkable often happens.
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Microbes begin to eat the oil. Within
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days of the spill, entire microbial
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communities can shift.
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Bacteria that were previously rare
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suddenly multiply, feeding on the
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hydrocarbons released
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into the water. Scientists often describe
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these microbes as
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"ocean's first responders"
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because long before humans can deploy
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cleanup ships or skimmers,
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microbes are already at work.
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This is the How to Protect the Ocean
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podcast, your weekday news
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update for oceans. If you care
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about staying up informed on the ocean
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every weekday, hit the
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follow button right now so you
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don't miss tomorrow's story. Here's the
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problem. We have ocean
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pollution. It comes in all forms.
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And it's one of the biggest environmental
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challenges facing
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marine ecosystems. Oil spills
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happen all over the world on a regular
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basis, more than we think. Not
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necessarily large oil spills, although
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those happen, but we start to get a lot
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of little spills. Oil spills release
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massive quantities of hydrocarbons into
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the environments, into
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any ocean environment.
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One of the most famous examples of course
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is the Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010,
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which released about 4.9 million barrels
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of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, making it
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the largest marine
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oil spill in US history.
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Oil spreads quickly across the ocean
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surface, but it also dissolves and
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dissipates through the water column,
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exposing fish, plankton, and deep sea
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ecosystems to toxic compounds. And oil is
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only one part of the pollution problem.
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The ocean is also accumulating plastic
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debris, synthetic chemicals, industrial
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pollutants, and agricultural runoff.
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Plastics also are estimated to reach 11
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million metric tons entering the ocean
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every year, if current trends continue.
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Many of these pollutants persist for
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decades or centuries. Traditional cleanup
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methods such as skimming oil from the
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surface or collecting debris can help,
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but they are expensive and rarely remove
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everything. However, the ocean has its
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own response, microbes.
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One of the most important discoveries
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about microbial pollution cleanup came
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after the deep sea horizon spill.
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Scientists studying the Gulf of Mexico
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noticed something unusual.
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Certain bacteria began to explode in
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population. Researchers analyzing
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seawater samples discovered large
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microbial blooms composed of oil
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degrading bacteria. These microbes were
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feeding on hydrocarbons released from the
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spill. The bacteria were not introduced
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by humans. They were already present in
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the ocean, waiting for an energy source.
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When the oil arrived, they multiplied
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rapidly. Key findings from these studies
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included oil degrading bacteria increased
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dramatically in contaminated waters,
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microbes metabolized hydrocarbons as an
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energy source, and entire microbial
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communities reorganized around oil
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degradation. Several bacteria groups
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became dominant during the spill.
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Important genera, and I'm going to try
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and pronounce this properly, included
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alkadivorex bacteria specialize in
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breaking down alkanes, a common type of
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hydrocarbon found in crude oil.
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In normal ocean conditions, these
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microbes are relatively rare, but after
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oil spills, they can dominate microbial
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communities. In some contaminated waters,
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they have been shown to make up up to 90%
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of microbial populations.
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Also, there's cycloclasticus. This
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bacteria targets aromatic hydrocarbons,
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which are some of the most toxic
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compounds of crude oil. These compounds
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include polycyclic aromatic
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hydrocarbons, often called PAHs.
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PAHs can damage fish development and
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accumulate in food webs. Cycloclasticus
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bacteria break these compounds down,
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reducing their
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persistence in the environment.
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Marineobacter are versatile oil
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degraders. They can metabolize a wide
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range of hydrocarbons and often work
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alongside other microbes in mixed
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communities. These microbial teams called
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consorcia collectively break down
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different parts of the oil mixture.
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Together, these microbes act like the
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biochemical cleanup crew. Crude oil is
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made up of complex hydrocarbon molecules.
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These molecules store energy, which
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microbes can use to grow and reproduce.
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Some bacteria produce specialized enzymes
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that allow them to break hydrocarbons
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apart. The process generally works like
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this. First, the enzymes attack large
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hydrocarbon molecules. These molecules
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are broken down into smaller compounds.
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The bacteria then
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metabolize these compounds as fuel.
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Through this metabolism, hydrocarbons are
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converted into carbon dioxide, water, and
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new microbial mass. Essentially, microbes
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are transforming oil into biological
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material. In some environments, this
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process can remove a significant portion
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of spilt oil naturally over time.
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For example, studies in the Deepwater
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Horizon Spill suggest that microbial
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degradation removes large quantities of
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dissolved hydrocarbons from the deep
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plume within months. Microbes are
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therefore acting as
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chemical recyclers of the ocean.
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They transform pollutants into compounds
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that can reenter natural biogeochemical
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cycles. Scientists are now exploring how
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microbial processes could be enhanced to
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help clean pollution more effectively.
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One research also
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involves bio stimulation.
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This strategy adds nutrients like
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nitrogen or phosphorus to polluted waters
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to stimulate growth of oil-degradating
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microbes. Because microbial growth is
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often limited by nutrients, adding small
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amounts can accelerate biodegradation.
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This technique was used during the Exxon
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Valdez oil spill in Alaska, where
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nutrient fertilizers were applied to
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contaminated shorelines to stimulate
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microbial oil degradation.
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Another emerging field is
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plastic-degrading microbes. For decades,
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scientists believed plastics were almost
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impossible for microbes to digest. But in
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2016, researchers discovered a bacterium
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called indionella sakiesis.
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I butchered that, I apologize. But they
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could break down PET plastics, the type
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they are used in many bottles. The
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bacterium produces enzymes that degrade
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PET into its chemical building blocks.
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Researchers are now studying whether
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similar microbes exist
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in marine environments.
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Other studies have identified marine
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fungi and bacteria capable of slowing
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degrading polyethylene, the most common
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plastic in the ocean. Scientists are now
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exploring microbial consortia, where
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multiple microbes work together to
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degrade complex pollutants. One species
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might break down large plastic polymers,
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while another consumes smaller fragments.
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Together, they
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complete the entire process.
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The research is still developing, but it
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could transform how we approach pollution
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cleanup. Now, I want to just let you know
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that there are limits. Microbial cleanup
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is powerful, but it is not a magic
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solution. Large spills can cause severe
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ecological damage right off the bat. Oil
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can smother coral reefs, poison fish
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larvae, and destroy coastal habitats.
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And some pollutants are extremely
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resistant to microbial breakdown.
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Examples include certain types of
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plastics, persistent organic pollutants,
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and heavy metals. In many cases,
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microbial cleanup can take years or
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decades. Even after the Deepwater Horizon
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spill, traces of oil remained in sediment
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and deep sea ecosystems for years.
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Microbes help mitigate damage, but they
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cannot fully reverse it. The best
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solution to pollution remains prevention.
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I want to reiterate how important it is
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to understand how these microbes work,
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but all in small doses. The immediate
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effect of having these pollutants in the
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water can be detrimental to all ocean
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ecosystems and the
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species that live within it.
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This is not a cure and to say, hey, this
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is how we solve oil spills. This is where
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we can use oil on a regular basis because
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we don't have to worry about oil spills
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anymore. No, this is just what we're
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discovering what happens in the ocean.
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Maybe in some day, in some cases, we'll
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be able to get it at some point, but not
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today, not tomorrow, and
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not for the near future.
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We need to divest ourselves away from oil
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products away from using oil and drilling
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for oil to protect our
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oceans for a myriad of reasons.
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All right. If you love this type of
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episode, if you love this breakdown, if
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you love learning about microbes in the
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ocean and all these different things
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about the ocean, hit that follow button
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right now. We're trying to get to the top
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of the charts in almost every country and
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certain countries were in the
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top 100, which is fantastic.
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But I want to get to the top. I want you
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guys to help me in each and every one of
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your countries to get how to protect the
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ocean to the top. And by doing that, if
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you hit that follow button, that helps
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get us to the top of those charts. So if
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you want to help us get to the top, if
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you want to help us be a great community
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and build our
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community, that would be amazing.
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And I have something for you as a way to
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interact and the way to talk in just a
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second. If you just let me finish these
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last final thoughts. All right. Microbes
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remind us of something important about
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the ocean that life evolves solutions to
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environmental challenges. Over millions
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of years, microbes evolved ways to break
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down natural hydrocarbons
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that seep from the sea floor.
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Today, those same microbes help clean up
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human pollution with of course some
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limits. They are part of the oceans
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resilience, but the resilience has
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limits. Microbes can help repair damage.
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They cannot undo all of it. Tomorrow
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we're going to explore a new frontier.
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Scientists are now engineering microbes
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to help solve climate challenges. And
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that is where synthetic biology enters
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the ocean conservation.
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So honestly, if you want to help this
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show grow, if you want to learn more
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about oceans and you want more people to
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learn about oceans, hit that follow
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button right away. Share this episode
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with somebody you think that would be
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interested in this knowledge.
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I started this podcast because when I was
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a kid that didn't have internet, I had to
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rely on my library that didn't have a lot
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of information on oceans because I lived
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in Ontario. I still live in Ontario, but
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here I am providing you with the
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information that you need to learn about
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the ocean and act for a better ocean.
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Live for a better ocean.
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So if you want to see this show grow and
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you want more people to listen to it,
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let's grow our community because you love
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it as well. That would be great. Just hit
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that follow button. This is the special
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thing. If you want to have your say and
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comment on this information and comment
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on this episode, you can do that. Go to
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speakupforblue.com forward slash
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feedback. That's speakupforblue.com
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forward slash feedback.
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I would love to hear what you have to say
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about microbes in general, the ocean in
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00:10:11,875 --> 00:10:13,541
general. If you want to hear a specific
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00:10:13,541 --> 00:10:15,375
topic, if you haven't noticed, I've
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changed obviously things that are going
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on these days. I've been doing four solo
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episodes for Monday to Thursday and an
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interview episode on the Friday. They all
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relate all in one theme. I really like
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this way of doing this stuff and I'd love
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to hear your thoughts on this as well. So
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hit that follow button. Go to
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speakupforblue.com forward slash
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feedback. That's speakupforblue.com
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forward slash feedback. And I want to
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thank you so much for watching. I'm Chris
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Andrew, and I'm your host Andrew Lewin.
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Have a great day. We'll talk to you next
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time and happy conservation.
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,125
When oil spills occur, the images that
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dominate the news are
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coated birds, damaged coastlines,
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and blackened water. But beneath the
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surface, something
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00:00:09,291 --> 00:00:11,000
remarkable often happens.
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Microbes begin to eat the oil. Within
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days of the spill, entire microbial
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communities can shift.
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Bacteria that were previously rare
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suddenly multiply, feeding on the
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hydrocarbons released
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into the water. Scientists often describe
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these microbes as
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"ocean's first responders"
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because long before humans can deploy
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cleanup ships or skimmers,
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microbes are already at work.
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This is the How to Protect the Ocean
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00:00:38,500 --> 00:00:40,291
podcast, your weekday news
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00:00:40,291 --> 00:00:42,916
update for oceans. If you care
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00:00:43,041 --> 00:00:45,083
about staying up informed on the ocean
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00:00:45,083 --> 00:00:46,541
every weekday, hit the
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00:00:46,541 --> 00:00:48,000
follow button right now so you
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00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:50,041
don't miss tomorrow's story. Here's the
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00:00:50,041 --> 00:00:51,458
problem. We have ocean
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pollution. It comes in all forms.
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And it's one of the biggest environmental
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challenges facing
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marine ecosystems. Oil spills
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happen all over the world on a regular
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basis, more than we think. Not
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necessarily large oil spills, although
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those happen, but we start to get a lot
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of little spills. Oil spills release
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massive quantities of hydrocarbons into
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the environments, into
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any ocean environment.
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One of the most famous examples of course
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is the Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010,
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which released about 4.9 million barrels
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of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, making it
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the largest marine
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oil spill in US history.
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Oil spreads quickly across the ocean
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surface, but it also dissolves and
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dissipates through the water column,
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exposing fish, plankton, and deep sea
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ecosystems to toxic compounds. And oil is
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only one part of the pollution problem.
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The ocean is also accumulating plastic
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debris, synthetic chemicals, industrial
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pollutants, and agricultural runoff.
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Plastics also are estimated to reach 11
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million metric tons entering the ocean
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every year, if current trends continue.
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Many of these pollutants persist for
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decades or centuries. Traditional cleanup
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methods such as skimming oil from the
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surface or collecting debris can help,
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but they are expensive and rarely remove
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everything. However, the ocean has its
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own response, microbes.
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One of the most important discoveries
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about microbial pollution cleanup came
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after the deep sea horizon spill.
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Scientists studying the Gulf of Mexico
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noticed something unusual.
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Certain bacteria began to explode in
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population. Researchers analyzing
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seawater samples discovered large
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microbial blooms composed of oil
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degrading bacteria. These microbes were
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feeding on hydrocarbons released from the
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spill. The bacteria were not introduced
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by humans. They were already present in
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the ocean, waiting for an energy source.
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When the oil arrived, they multiplied
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rapidly. Key findings from these studies
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included oil degrading bacteria increased
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dramatically in contaminated waters,
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microbes metabolized hydrocarbons as an
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energy source, and entire microbial
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communities reorganized around oil
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degradation. Several bacteria groups
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became dominant during the spill.
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Important genera, and I'm going to try
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and pronounce this properly, included
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alkadivorex bacteria specialize in
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breaking down alkanes, a common type of
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hydrocarbon found in crude oil.
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In normal ocean conditions, these
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microbes are relatively rare, but after
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oil spills, they can dominate microbial
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communities. In some contaminated waters,
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they have been shown to make up up to 90%
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of microbial populations.
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Also, there's cycloclasticus. This
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bacteria targets aromatic hydrocarbons,
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which are some of the most toxic
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compounds of crude oil. These compounds
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include polycyclic aromatic
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hydrocarbons, often called PAHs.
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PAHs can damage fish development and
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accumulate in food webs. Cycloclasticus
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bacteria break these compounds down,
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reducing their
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persistence in the environment.
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Marineobacter are versatile oil
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degraders. They can metabolize a wide
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range of hydrocarbons and often work
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alongside other microbes in mixed
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communities. These microbial teams called
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consorcia collectively break down
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different parts of the oil mixture.
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Together, these microbes act like the
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biochemical cleanup crew. Crude oil is
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made up of complex hydrocarbon molecules.
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These molecules store energy, which
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microbes can use to grow and reproduce.
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Some bacteria produce specialized enzymes
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that allow them to break hydrocarbons
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apart. The process generally works like
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this. First, the enzymes attack large
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hydrocarbon molecules. These molecules
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are broken down into smaller compounds.
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The bacteria then
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metabolize these compounds as fuel.
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Through this metabolism, hydrocarbons are
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converted into carbon dioxide, water, and
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new microbial mass. Essentially, microbes
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are transforming oil into biological
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material. In some environments, this
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process can remove a significant portion
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of spilt oil naturally over time.
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For example, studies in the Deepwater
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Horizon Spill suggest that microbial
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degradation removes large quantities of
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dissolved hydrocarbons from the deep
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plume within months. Microbes are
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therefore acting as
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chemical recyclers of the ocean.
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They transform pollutants into compounds
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that can reenter natural biogeochemical
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cycles. Scientists are now exploring how
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microbial processes could be enhanced to
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help clean pollution more effectively.
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One research also
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involves bio stimulation.
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This strategy adds nutrients like
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nitrogen or phosphorus to polluted waters
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to stimulate growth of oil-degradating
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microbes. Because microbial growth is
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often limited by nutrients, adding small
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amounts can accelerate biodegradation.
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This technique was used during the Exxon
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Valdez oil spill in Alaska, where
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nutrient fertilizers were applied to
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contaminated shorelines to stimulate
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microbial oil degradation.
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Another emerging field is
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plastic-degrading microbes. For decades,
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scientists believed plastics were almost
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impossible for microbes to digest. But in
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2016, researchers discovered a bacterium
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called indionella sakiesis.
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I butchered that, I apologize. But they
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could break down PET plastics, the type
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they are used in many bottles. The
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bacterium produces enzymes that degrade
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PET into its chemical building blocks.
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Researchers are now studying whether
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similar microbes exist
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in marine environments.
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Other studies have identified marine
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fungi and bacteria capable of slowing
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degrading polyethylene, the most common
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plastic in the ocean. Scientists are now
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exploring microbial consortia, where
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multiple microbes work together to
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degrade complex pollutants. One species
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might break down large plastic polymers,
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while another consumes smaller fragments.
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Together, they
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complete the entire process.
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The research is still developing, but it
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could transform how we approach pollution
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cleanup. Now, I want to just let you know
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that there are limits. Microbial cleanup
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is powerful, but it is not a magic
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solution. Large spills can cause severe
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ecological damage right off the bat. Oil
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can smother coral reefs, poison fish
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larvae, and destroy coastal habitats.
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And some pollutants are extremely
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resistant to microbial breakdown.
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Examples include certain types of
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plastics, persistent organic pollutants,
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and heavy metals. In many cases,
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microbial cleanup can take years or
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decades. Even after the Deepwater Horizon
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spill, traces of oil remained in sediment
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and deep sea ecosystems for years.
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Microbes help mitigate damage, but they
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cannot fully reverse it. The best
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solution to pollution remains prevention.
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I want to reiterate how important it is
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to understand how these microbes work,
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but all in small doses. The immediate
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effect of having these pollutants in the
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water can be detrimental to all ocean
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ecosystems and the
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species that live within it.
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This is not a cure and to say, hey, this
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is how we solve oil spills. This is where
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we can use oil on a regular basis because
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we don't have to worry about oil spills
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anymore. No, this is just what we're
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discovering what happens in the ocean.
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Maybe in some day, in some cases, we'll
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be able to get it at some point, but not
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today, not tomorrow, and
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not for the near future.
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We need to divest ourselves away from oil
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products away from using oil and drilling
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for oil to protect our
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oceans for a myriad of reasons.
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All right. If you love this type of
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episode, if you love this breakdown, if
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you love learning about microbes in the
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ocean and all these different things
232
00:08:08,333 --> 00:08:10,000
about the ocean, hit that follow button
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00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:12,083
right now. We're trying to get to the top
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of the charts in almost every country and
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certain countries were in the
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top 100, which is fantastic.
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But I want to get to the top. I want you
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guys to help me in each and every one of
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your countries to get how to protect the
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ocean to the top. And by doing that, if
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you hit that follow button, that helps
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get us to the top of those charts. So if
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you want to help us get to the top, if
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you want to help us be a great community
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and build our
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community, that would be amazing.
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And I have something for you as a way to
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interact and the way to talk in just a
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second. If you just let me finish these
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last final thoughts. All right. Microbes
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remind us of something important about
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the ocean that life evolves solutions to
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environmental challenges. Over millions
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of years, microbes evolved ways to break
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down natural hydrocarbons
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that seep from the sea floor.
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Today, those same microbes help clean up
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human pollution with of course some
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limits. They are part of the oceans
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resilience, but the resilience has
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limits. Microbes can help repair damage.
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They cannot undo all of it. Tomorrow
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we're going to explore a new frontier.
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Scientists are now engineering microbes
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to help solve climate challenges. And
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that is where synthetic biology enters
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the ocean conservation.
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So honestly, if you want to help this
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show grow, if you want to learn more
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about oceans and you want more people to
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learn about oceans, hit that follow
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button right away. Share this episode
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with somebody you think that would be
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interested in this knowledge.
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I started this podcast because when I was
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a kid that didn't have internet, I had to
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rely on my library that didn't have a lot
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of information on oceans because I lived
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in Ontario. I still live in Ontario, but
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here I am providing you with the
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information that you need to learn about
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the ocean and act for a better ocean.
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Live for a better ocean.
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So if you want to see this show grow and
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you want more people to listen to it,
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let's grow our community because you love
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it as well. That would be great. Just hit
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that follow button. This is the special
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thing. If you want to have your say and
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comment on this information and comment
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on this episode, you can do that. Go to
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speakupforblue.com forward slash
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feedback. That's speakupforblue.com
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forward slash feedback.
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I would love to hear what you have to say
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about microbes in general, the ocean in
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general. If you want to hear a specific
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topic, if you haven't noticed, I've
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changed obviously things that are going
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on these days. I've been doing four solo
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episodes for Monday to Thursday and an
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interview episode on the Friday. They all
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relate all in one theme. I really like
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this way of doing this stuff and I'd love
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to hear your thoughts on this as well. So
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hit that follow button. Go to
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speakupforblue.com forward slash
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feedback. That's speakupforblue.com
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forward slash feedback. And I want to
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thank you so much for watching. I'm Chris
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Andrew, and I'm your host Andrew Lewin.
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Have a great day. We'll talk to you next
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time and happy conservation.
