#26 on Discover's Top 100 of 2009, biologist J. Craig Venter speculates on digitally designed life-forms that could produce new drugs, fuel and food.
"We could synthesize cells that use carbon dioxide and make other things from it. If [a] desk and [a] plastic chair protector were made from CO2, it would solve the problem of how to sequester CO2 from the atmosphere and would totally solve the question of paper versus plastic. You'd absolutely want plastic bags if they could be made from carbon dioxide and not from oil.
We could solve the problem of fuel production. In theory, we could replace fuel that comes out of the ground with things made from carbon dioxide on a new scale. We could make small-scale microbial fuel cells that use human waste to make drinking water electricity or both. Could algae be used for food? Imagine using algae to make artificial steaks. Look at all the bacteria in the oceans; they have far more sophisticated chemicals than our chemistry industry can produce. A lot of these are antibacterial or antiviral compounds, because that's how bacteria protects themselves in the environment. If we're ever going to have a chance of using these compounds, we're going to have to make them synthetically."
Once again, science fiction edges ever closer to science fact.
"We could synthesize cells that use carbon dioxide and make other things from it. If [a] desk and [a] plastic chair protector were made from CO2, it would solve the problem of how to sequester CO2 from the atmosphere and would totally solve the question of paper versus plastic. You'd absolutely want plastic bags if they could be made from carbon dioxide and not from oil.
We could solve the problem of fuel production. In theory, we could replace fuel that comes out of the ground with things made from carbon dioxide on a new scale. We could make small-scale microbial fuel cells that use human waste to make drinking water electricity or both. Could algae be used for food? Imagine using algae to make artificial steaks. Look at all the bacteria in the oceans; they have far more sophisticated chemicals than our chemistry industry can produce. A lot of these are antibacterial or antiviral compounds, because that's how bacteria protects themselves in the environment. If we're ever going to have a chance of using these compounds, we're going to have to make them synthetically."
Once again, science fiction edges ever closer to science fact.
No comments:
Post a Comment