Microbesoft
For a while now, I have been thinking about the energy crisis. So much of our lives- our cars, homes, computers- require the lifeblood of petrol. But with the rest of the world massively industrializing, and the nonrenewability of fossil fuels, it will not be long before we completely exhaust our sources. Who knows what catastrophes may congeal as a product of limited energy.
However, there is a thoretical solution. Hydrogen and ethanol have both been named as potential sources of energy for the future. They are clean, have abundant precursors (water and sugar), and provide a lot of energy per reaction. There is only one problem: there is currently no efficient way of making either of them.
That is, unless your a synthetic biologist. Nature has provided us the best tool for chemical reactions: bacteria. If we can figure out what gene circuits will allow bacteria to release hydrogen or ethanol in large quantities, we can mass produce these alternative fuels on the cheap. In fact as soon as I got out of Duke, I was planning on doing something like that.
Apparently, its not as novel an idea as I imagined. Tech-entrepreneur Craig Venter claims he has patened genes that will allow bacteria to produce these fuels on the cheap, as well as clean the atmosphere of carbon dioxide. This company has the potential to solve so many of the world’s problems, not to mention reap a tidy profit.
However, they have not hit the market just yet. And until a car is powered on bacteria-made hydrogen, the game is not over. The gauntlet has been laid Dr. Venter, and I accept. But regardless of who gets it first, we need to find it soon.
The Clock is ticking. Good luck, scientists.