CO2-guzzling bacteria made in the lab could help tackle climate change”
Bacteria have been rewired to live off carbon dioxide and they could be used to produce biofuels in a more sustainable way. Specific strains of Escherichia coli bacteria (E.Coli) are often used to make biofuels and other chemicals, but they normally feed on sugar. Ron Milo at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and his colleagues have managed to make E. coli consume CO2 instead.
The researchers added genes to the E. coli genome for an enzyme that converts atmospheric CO2 to biomass and deleted genes needed for sugar metabolism. They then left the bacteria for several months in the lab. After 200 days, they found that the microbes had successfully evolved to grow without needing sugar for food.
Source: New Scientist
What if the original E.Coli population was limited by presence of sugar and the new strain no longer has constraints on population growth?
But they didn’t delete any other genes (characteristics) of E.Coli…
Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should-Jurassic Park
What is E. coli?
E. coli (Escherichia coli) are a group of bacteria that are found in the gut of nearly all people and animals. There are many different strains of E. coli. Some cause no illness at all. Others cause minor illness, and yet others cause serious illness.
Minor illnesses caused by E. coli: Some strains of E. coli cause a range of minor illnesses including: traveller’s diarrhoea and food poisoning, both of which can cause diarrhoea, stomach pain, nausea and vomiting.
Serious illnesses caused by E. coli:
Some strains of E. coli cause serious illnesses such as:
• pneumonia
• meningitis in newborn babies
• inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis)