CO2 Eating Bacteria Developed by Israeli Scientists

On 27th November, a study by Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS) in central Israel has developed a bacteria fed only with carbon dioxide. The breakthrough capable of curbing greenhouse gases was achieved by Israeli scientists managed to wean bacteria off of sugar and feed them only on carbon dioxide available in the atmosphere

Crux of the Matter

1. Bacteria builds the entire biomass of their body from the carbon in the air.

2. It is predicted that it may help develop future technologies that reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

3. The bacteria were completely weaned off sugar, through a nearly decade-long process.

4. The Israeli scientists were able to “reprogram” E.coli bacteria that consume sugars & release carbon dioxide, so they use carbon dioxide from the environment and produce the sugars they need to build their body.

5. The researchers mapped the genes and inserted a gene in the bacteria that allows them to receive energy from a substance called formate.

6. At each stage of the process, the cultured bacteria received a diminishing amount of sugar, and at the same time gained an abundance of carbon dioxide and formate.

Curiopedia

The Weizmann Institute of Science is a public research university in Rehovot, Israel, established in 1934, 14 years before the State of Israel. It was founded by Chaim Weizmann and his first team, among them Benjamin M. Bloch, as the Daniel Sieff Research Institute. It offers only graduate and postgraduate degrees in the natural and exact sciences. It is a multidisciplinary research centre, with around 3,800 scientists, postdoctoral fellows, PhD and M.Sc. students, and scientific, technical, and administrative staff working at the Institute. More Info

Curated Coverage

1. Gadegts Now – Scientists develop bacteria that consume carbon dioxide

2. The Weather Channel – Israeli Scientists Develop Bacteria Which “Eat” Carbon Dioxide

#Environment #Research