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Jiveturtle t1_isqg9uv wrote

Honest but probably stupid question.

If we can genetically engineer bacteria to break down plastics, why can’t we engineer bacteria to, for lack of a better term, super-photosynthesize and fix all the carbon we’ve spewed into the atmosphere into another form?

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Landmen t1_isqwq7h wrote

Algae does that quite well. Theres been a few experiments with using algae as carbon capture method.

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Matshelge t1_iss9gbd wrote

Algae bloom is maybe a good thing får out in the ocean, but bad if close to the shore.

However, testing this out is geo-engineering, and banned across the globe.

So until we get some rogue nation willing to run the tests and do the science, we will not know.

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SentientHotdogWater t1_issxftr wrote

>However, testing this out is geo-engineering, and banned across the globe.

>So until we get some rogue nation willing to run the tests and do the science, we will not know.

No, geo-engineering is not globally banned.

There have been many small scale tests of ocean seeding. It doesn't work as well as people think but it also doesn't not work.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_fertilization

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T1N7 t1_issjx8k wrote

Testing out, wether you could induce algae bloom, counts as geo-engineering? Even on a small scale?

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lacergunn t1_isr51r6 wrote

The recent breakthroughs in plastic breakdown are mostly improvements and derivatives of a naturally occurring bacteria that was discovered in 2016. Though recent advancements in machine learning make it easier to make entirely new things from scratch, a lot of genetic engineering is based in using parts that naturally evolved.

As for super-photosynthesis, it comes down to a few things, mainly growing space, environmental concerns, and the biggest hurdle of all, funding.

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MachineDrugs t1_isrrs0h wrote

Oh there are researches regarding that. But right now we can only improve photosynthesis by a few percentages. Which isn't enough

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johndeuff t1_issjx1w wrote

I saw a company doing just that and making money by selling its CO2 credits.

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