Children of the Wasteland: Experimental Biology vs. Global Catastrophe ch.2

Chapter Two: The Poison Eaters. In this chapter, we examine some possible experimental biology-assisted climate interventions, such as mineralization of rapidly-produced biomass. We then return to the question of massive, rapid methane release from undersea deposits, journeying to a place called Hydrate Ridge off the coast of Oregon, where two very different organisms form a symbiotic association to metabolize methane. This seafloor filtration is similar to an organ like a kidney, keeping the concentration of a certain substance within a manageable range. If it is overwhelmed, can we assist it? In search of answers, we look at the biology of methane-consuming species, or methanatrophs, and one of the wilder frontiers of current biology: that of the biobots, the “novel constructs” that are not exactly organisms but are definitely alive.