Scientists Are Engineering Ocean Microbes to Fight Climate Change

1
00:00:00,250 --> 00:00:02,208
What if microbes could be engineered to

2
00:00:02,208 --> 00:00:03,041
capture more carbon?

3
00:00:03,333 --> 00:00:04,416
That would be great, wouldn't it?

4
00:00:04,416 --> 00:00:06,250
Or even produce sustainable materials

5
00:00:06,250 --> 00:00:08,125
using sunlight and seawater.

6
00:00:08,875 --> 00:00:10,500
This idea might sound futuristic, but

7
00:00:10,500 --> 00:00:11,083
believe it or not,

8
00:00:11,083 --> 00:00:12,625
scientists are already working on it.

9
00:00:12,625 --> 00:00:14,000
In laboratories all around the world,

10
00:00:14,416 --> 00:00:14,791
scientists are

11
00:00:14,791 --> 00:00:16,708
modifying ancient ocean microbes

12
00:00:16,708 --> 00:00:18,500
to produce fuels, plastics, and

13
00:00:18,500 --> 00:00:19,375
industrial chemicals.

14
00:00:19,833 --> 00:00:22,083
If it works at scale, these tiny

15
00:00:22,083 --> 00:00:24,416
organisms could help transform how we

16
00:00:24,416 --> 00:00:26,416
manufacture materials on Earth.

17
00:00:27,041 --> 00:00:28,416
This is the How to Protect the Ocean

18
00:00:28,416 --> 00:00:30,541
podcast, your weekday ocean news update.

19
00:00:30,791 --> 00:00:32,625
If you care about staying informed on the

20
00:00:32,625 --> 00:00:34,625
ocean every weekday, hit that follow

21
00:00:34,625 --> 00:00:35,791
button right now so you

22
00:00:35,791 --> 00:00:37,166
don't miss tomorrow's episode.

23
00:00:37,833 --> 00:00:39,583
Synthetic biology is exploring how

24
00:00:39,583 --> 00:00:41,041
microbes could help

25
00:00:41,041 --> 00:00:42,208
address climate change.

26
00:00:42,458 --> 00:00:44,000
By modifying photosynthetic

27
00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:45,791
microorganisms, scientists are trying to

28
00:00:45,791 --> 00:00:46,291
build living

29
00:00:46,291 --> 00:00:48,375
factories powered by sunlight.

30
00:00:48,791 --> 00:00:51,041
Instead of using oil, coal, or natural

31
00:00:51,041 --> 00:00:52,875
gas to produce materials, these systems

32
00:00:52,875 --> 00:00:53,916
would use sunlight,

33
00:00:54,291 --> 00:00:55,833
carbon dioxide, and seawater.

34
00:00:55,833 --> 00:00:57,791
Just imagine the possibilities.

35
00:00:58,291 --> 00:01:00,166
But the question is, can engineered

36
00:01:00,166 --> 00:01:01,708
microbes help create a

37
00:01:01,708 --> 00:01:02,875
more sustainable future?

38
00:01:03,500 --> 00:01:05,541
So here's the problem. Right now,

39
00:01:05,541 --> 00:01:06,250
industrial systems

40
00:01:06,250 --> 00:01:08,041
produce massive emissions.

41
00:01:08,625 --> 00:01:10,416
Many of the materials we rely on today

42
00:01:10,416 --> 00:01:11,708
come from fossil fuels.

43
00:01:11,708 --> 00:01:13,041
These include plastics, synthetic

44
00:01:13,041 --> 00:01:14,250
chemicals, industrial

45
00:01:14,250 --> 00:01:16,333
feedstocks, fuels, and lubricants.

46
00:01:16,333 --> 00:01:18,291
And to be honest, we are in a system

47
00:01:18,291 --> 00:01:19,041
where everything is

48
00:01:19,041 --> 00:01:19,833
made from these materials.

49
00:01:19,833 --> 00:01:22,833
And I know it's kind of ironic that

50
00:01:22,833 --> 00:01:24,666
people who are against the environmental

51
00:01:24,666 --> 00:01:27,000
movement will be the first to say, oh,

52
00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:28,375
well, do you like your phone? That was

53
00:01:28,375 --> 00:01:29,500
made from hydrocarbons.

54
00:01:29,708 --> 00:01:31,416
Did you like your Starbucks

55
00:01:31,416 --> 00:01:33,416
cup? That was made from plastics.

56
00:01:33,791 --> 00:01:35,750
Do you like that stuff because you use

57
00:01:35,750 --> 00:01:38,291
that stuff, but you want to rile against

58
00:01:38,291 --> 00:01:40,125
it and you want to stop it?

59
00:01:40,541 --> 00:01:41,708
Well, yeah, we want to stop it because we

60
00:01:41,708 --> 00:01:42,833
want to make a more sustainable future.

61
00:01:42,875 --> 00:01:45,000
We just can't because we live in this

62
00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,125
society that is built from using these

63
00:01:47,125 --> 00:01:49,375
products, these foundations of all of our

64
00:01:49,375 --> 00:01:50,958
products or most of our products.

65
00:01:51,375 --> 00:01:53,250
The chemical industry alone accounts for

66
00:01:53,250 --> 00:01:55,583
about six to 8% of global greenhouse gas

67
00:01:55,583 --> 00:01:57,666
emissions, largely because it depends on

68
00:01:57,666 --> 00:02:00,375
fossil carbon as both an energy source

69
00:02:00,375 --> 00:02:01,791
and as raw materials.

70
00:02:02,500 --> 00:02:03,500
Plastic production is

71
00:02:03,500 --> 00:02:04,833
another major contributor.

72
00:02:04,833 --> 00:02:07,500
Global plastic production exceeds 400

73
00:02:07,500 --> 00:02:09,500
million tons per year and most of it

74
00:02:09,500 --> 00:02:10,125
originates from

75
00:02:10,125 --> 00:02:11,625
petroleum based feedstocks.

76
00:02:12,083 --> 00:02:15,750
33% of fossil fuels money is derived from

77
00:02:15,750 --> 00:02:17,166
selling plastic goods.

78
00:02:17,541 --> 00:02:18,916
That means every plastic bottle,

79
00:02:19,125 --> 00:02:21,000
synthetic fiber, or industrial chemical

80
00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:23,333
starts with fossil carbon that was stored

81
00:02:23,333 --> 00:02:25,291
underground for millions of years.

82
00:02:25,791 --> 00:02:27,666
The scientists are looking for biological

83
00:02:27,666 --> 00:02:28,791
alternatives that do

84
00:02:28,791 --> 00:02:29,833
not rely on fossil fuels.

85
00:02:29,875 --> 00:02:32,500
One promising approach is bio

86
00:02:32,500 --> 00:02:34,916
manufacturing using microbes.

87
00:02:35,583 --> 00:02:37,041
Here's the science of it.

88
00:02:37,041 --> 00:02:38,541
Synthetic biology researchers are

89
00:02:38,541 --> 00:02:41,125
exploring ways to engineer microorganisms

90
00:02:41,125 --> 00:02:42,916
to produce useful compounds.

91
00:02:43,458 --> 00:02:45,333
One of the most promising groups of

92
00:02:45,333 --> 00:02:46,125
organisms that work on

93
00:02:46,125 --> 00:02:47,250
this are cyanobacteria.

94
00:02:47,791 --> 00:02:49,750
Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic microbes

95
00:02:49,750 --> 00:02:51,416
that naturally live in oceans,

96
00:02:51,625 --> 00:02:53,000
lakes, and freshwater systems.

97
00:02:53,416 --> 00:02:55,333
And normally we think that they are bad,

98
00:02:55,666 --> 00:02:57,208
but in this case, they can be good

99
00:02:57,208 --> 00:02:58,625
because they use sunlight for energy,

100
00:02:58,875 --> 00:02:59,833
carbon dioxide as a carbon.

101
00:02:59,875 --> 00:03:02,750
And water as an electron donor. Through

102
00:03:02,750 --> 00:03:04,000
photosynthesis, they convert

103
00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,000
CO2 into organic molecules.

104
00:03:06,916 --> 00:03:08,500
Scientists have learned how to modify

105
00:03:08,500 --> 00:03:10,625
their genetic systems so that instead of

106
00:03:10,625 --> 00:03:12,583
producing only biomass, they produce

107
00:03:12,583 --> 00:03:15,000
specific industrial compounds.

108
00:03:15,666 --> 00:03:16,958
Researchers have already engineered

109
00:03:16,958 --> 00:03:18,833
cyanobacteria to produce ethanol and

110
00:03:18,833 --> 00:03:22,125
biofuels, hydrogen gas, bioplastics, and

111
00:03:22,125 --> 00:03:23,500
chemical building blocks for

112
00:03:23,500 --> 00:03:24,833
pharmaceuticals and materials.

113
00:03:25,250 --> 00:03:27,250
So, for example, a landmark study

114
00:03:27,250 --> 00:03:29,208
engineered the cyanobacteria,

115
00:03:29,208 --> 00:03:31,666
cyanocystis, to produce ethanol directly

116
00:03:31,666 --> 00:03:34,208
from CO2 and sunlight. Imagine that.

117
00:03:34,500 --> 00:03:36,416
Most recently, researchers engineered

118
00:03:36,416 --> 00:03:38,916
cyanobacteria to produce isobutanol, a

119
00:03:38,916 --> 00:03:40,541
potential new generation biofuel.

120
00:03:41,041 --> 00:03:43,000
Other studies have modified cyanobacteria

121
00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:46,375
to produce polyhydroxyl alkyl notes, or

122
00:03:46,375 --> 00:03:48,416
pHs, is probably the better way for me to

123
00:03:48,416 --> 00:03:50,250
say it, which are biodegradable plastics.

124
00:03:50,833 --> 00:03:53,083
In simple terms, scientists are turning

125
00:03:53,083 --> 00:03:54,000
microbes into solar

126
00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:56,041
powered biochemical factories.

127
00:03:56,750 --> 00:03:58,541
Cyanobacteria are particularly attractive

128
00:03:58,541 --> 00:04:01,125
for biotechnology. These organisms

129
00:04:01,125 --> 00:04:03,916
evolved over 2.5 billion years ago and

130
00:04:03,916 --> 00:04:04,916
played a major role in

131
00:04:04,916 --> 00:04:06,291
shaping the Earth's atmosphere.

132
00:04:06,750 --> 00:04:08,416
They were responsible for the great

133
00:04:08,416 --> 00:04:10,833
oxygenation event when oxygen began

134
00:04:10,833 --> 00:04:12,666
accumulating in the atmosphere and

135
00:04:12,666 --> 00:04:14,833
allowed complex life to evolve.

136
00:04:14,875 --> 00:04:16,791
Because of their long evolutionary

137
00:04:16,791 --> 00:04:18,791
history, cyanobacteria have several

138
00:04:18,791 --> 00:04:21,166
advantages for synthetic biology. They

139
00:04:21,166 --> 00:04:23,083
grow quickly. They use sunlight as their

140
00:04:23,083 --> 00:04:24,083
primary energy source.

141
00:04:24,458 --> 00:04:26,250
They capture carbon dioxide directly

142
00:04:26,250 --> 00:04:28,166
through photosynthesis. And their genetic

143
00:04:28,166 --> 00:04:30,250
systems are relatively simple, which

144
00:04:30,250 --> 00:04:32,500
makes them easier to modify compared to

145
00:04:32,500 --> 00:04:32,833
many other organisms.

146
00:04:33,833 --> 00:04:36,041
Scientists can insert genes that redirect

147
00:04:36,041 --> 00:04:37,875
metabolic pathways toward producing

148
00:04:37,875 --> 00:04:40,625
specific molecules. So for example, a

149
00:04:40,625 --> 00:04:42,708
metabolic pathway that normally produces

150
00:04:42,708 --> 00:04:44,750
sugars can be redirected to produce

151
00:04:44,750 --> 00:04:46,333
ethanol or other chemicals.

152
00:04:47,041 --> 00:04:48,791
Instead of growing biomass, the microbes

153
00:04:48,791 --> 00:04:51,291
become a living production platform. Here

154
00:04:51,291 --> 00:04:53,500
are some potential applications. Research

155
00:04:53,500 --> 00:04:55,500
suggests engineered microbes could help

156
00:04:55,500 --> 00:04:56,833
with several major challenges.

157
00:04:57,833 --> 00:04:59,500
Carbon neutral materials. Instead of

158
00:04:59,500 --> 00:05:00,958
making plastics from fossil fuels,

159
00:05:01,208 --> 00:05:03,833
microbes could produce bio plastics using

160
00:05:03,833 --> 00:05:06,083
captured carbon dioxide. These plastics

161
00:05:06,083 --> 00:05:08,208
could be biodegradable and have a much

162
00:05:08,208 --> 00:05:09,500
smaller carbon footprint.

163
00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:11,958
Sustainable chemical manufacturing. Many

164
00:05:11,958 --> 00:05:13,916
industrial chemicals currently come from

165
00:05:13,916 --> 00:05:16,541
oil refineries. Engineered microbes could

166
00:05:16,541 --> 00:05:18,541
produce these same molecules using

167
00:05:18,541 --> 00:05:21,291
sunlight and CO2. Companies are already

168
00:05:21,291 --> 00:05:23,208
exploring microbial systems that produce

169
00:05:23,208 --> 00:05:25,333
acrylics, chemical solvents, and

170
00:05:25,333 --> 00:05:26,500
industrial alcohols.

171
00:05:26,875 --> 00:05:28,875
Looking at carbon capture, photosynthetic

172
00:05:28,875 --> 00:05:31,166
microbes naturally remove CO2 from the

173
00:05:31,166 --> 00:05:33,041
atmosphere. Engineered systems could

174
00:05:33,041 --> 00:05:34,833
increase the carbon capture efficiency.

175
00:05:34,833 --> 00:05:37,000
Some research groups are working on

176
00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:39,166
microbes that convert captured CO2 into

177
00:05:39,166 --> 00:05:41,750
stable compounds or fuels. Imagine having

178
00:05:41,750 --> 00:05:43,916
a system where we can accelerate the

179
00:05:43,916 --> 00:05:46,833
amount of CO2 that's absorbed by these

180
00:05:46,833 --> 00:05:49,375
cyanobacteria. Just think about the uses

181
00:05:49,375 --> 00:05:51,208
of that and how that can help us in the

182
00:05:51,208 --> 00:05:52,500
fight against climate change.

183
00:05:52,875 --> 00:05:54,291
When we look at waste recycling,

184
00:05:54,291 --> 00:05:55,875
scientists are also exploring microbes

185
00:05:55,875 --> 00:05:57,833
that can break down waste products and

186
00:05:57,833 --> 00:06:00,125
convert them into useful chemicals. For

187
00:06:00,125 --> 00:06:02,166
example, engineered microbial systems may

188
00:06:02,166 --> 00:06:04,000
eventually convert agricultural waste,

189
00:06:04,666 --> 00:06:06,208
industrial CO2 emissions, and organic

190
00:06:06,208 --> 00:06:08,500
waste systems. All these can be converted

191
00:06:08,500 --> 00:06:11,250
into valuable materials. If these systems

192
00:06:11,250 --> 00:06:13,250
scale successfully, they could help

193
00:06:13,250 --> 00:06:14,875
reduce reliance on fossil

194
00:06:14,875 --> 00:06:15,833
fuel-based manufacturing.

195
00:06:15,833 --> 00:06:18,583
All these solutions are really great, but

196
00:06:18,583 --> 00:06:20,916
engineering living systems also raises

197
00:06:20,916 --> 00:06:22,833
important questions. If engineered

198
00:06:22,833 --> 00:06:24,458
microbes are released into natural

199
00:06:24,458 --> 00:06:26,125
environments, scientists must consider

200
00:06:26,125 --> 00:06:28,708
the potential ecological impacts. Some of

201
00:06:28,708 --> 00:06:30,500
the concerns include whether modified

202
00:06:30,500 --> 00:06:32,666
organisms could spread beyond controlled

203
00:06:32,666 --> 00:06:34,583
systems, whether they could out-compete

204
00:06:34,583 --> 00:06:37,125
natural microbes, whether genetic changes

205
00:06:37,125 --> 00:06:38,833
could transfer to wild populations.

206
00:06:39,833 --> 00:06:41,625
Because of these risks, most research

207
00:06:41,625 --> 00:06:43,666
today occurs in contained laboratory

208
00:06:43,666 --> 00:06:45,875
industrial environments. Many process

209
00:06:45,875 --> 00:06:48,666
systems involve closed bioreactors, where

210
00:06:48,666 --> 00:06:50,916
microbes can grow in controlled tanks

211
00:06:50,916 --> 00:06:53,291
instead of open ocean environments. There

212
00:06:53,291 --> 00:06:55,208
is a growing discussion about biosafety

213
00:06:55,208 --> 00:06:56,166
frameworks and

214
00:06:56,166 --> 00:06:56,833
genetic containment systems.

215
00:06:56,875 --> 00:06:59,416
For example, scientists are developing

216
00:06:59,416 --> 00:07:01,875
engineered microbes that cannot survive

217
00:07:01,875 --> 00:07:03,125
outside controlled conditions.

218
00:07:03,750 --> 00:07:05,750
Responsible research requires careful

219
00:07:05,750 --> 00:07:08,333
oversight. Biotechnology has an enormous

220
00:07:08,333 --> 00:07:09,583
potential, but it must

221
00:07:09,583 --> 00:07:10,916
be delivered responsibly.

222
00:07:11,500 --> 00:07:13,208
If you enjoy this type of breakdown of

223
00:07:13,208 --> 00:07:15,291
microbes and other ocean systems from

224
00:07:15,291 --> 00:07:17,208
this podcast, hit that follow button so

225
00:07:17,208 --> 00:07:18,791
you don't miss tomorrow's episode.

226
00:07:45,041 --> 00:07:47,250
Here are my final thoughts on this episode.

227
00:08:13,708 --> 00:08:17,708
I want to thank you so much for joining

228
00:08:17,708 --> 00:08:18,833
me on today's episode of the podcast.

229
00:08:18,833 --> 00:08:23,083
I would love to hear your feedback by

230
00:08:23,083 --> 00:08:25,375
going to speakupforblue.com forward slash

231
00:08:25,375 --> 00:08:30,000
feedback. I want to thank you so much.

232
00:08:30,250 --> 00:08:31,541
I'm your host, Angelo, and have a great

233
00:08:31,541 --> 00:08:32,625
day. We'll talk to you next

234
00:08:32,625 --> 00:08:33,833
time and happy conservation.