Re:Cyborg bacteria outperform plants when turning sunlight i...
by pmontra on Tuesday August 22, 2017 @11:39AM
(#15073456)
We are having an excess of CO2 in the atmosphere right now. Using it to generate useful stuff looks ok to me. Water could be a problem.
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Re:Cyborg bacteria outperform plants when turning sunlight i...
by vkou on Tuesday August 22, 2017 @02:52PM
(#15075335)
If we were to lose all the CO2 in the atmosphere, we will all very quickly die. Plants require it to survive. [1]
The problem with bacteria, is that thanks to exponential growth, and an inability to control them, we can end up in deep, deep trouble. Using them in a controlled fashion that will bring us from 400ppm to 250ppm (but no lower) seems incredibly unlikely. Either they won't be able to make a big difference, or they'll bring us to a level far below habitable.
Re:Cyborg bacteria outperform plants when turning sunlight i...
by pmontra on Tuesday August 22, 2017 @05:56PM
(#15076714)
Agreed, but in this case no cadmium semiconductors == no super bacteria. They can't build semiconductors, we do, so we control the reaction. Are we really going to use up all CO2, stop photosynthesis and suffocate? I don't believe so. We also keep producing plenty of CO2.