Bacterium forced to evolve to consume carbon dioxide to make biomass
Tweaked Escherichia coli could help deal with humanity’s carbon dioxide problem
By completely rewiring Escherichia coli metabolism this powerhouse of synthetic biology has been evolved to consume carbon dioxide. The majority of the organisms on the planet live their lives as autotrophs. These are the plants, microbes and others that use energy, often in the form of light and carbon, to synthesise their own food. Autotrophs, therefore, play a major role in the planet’s carbon cycle, and can help humanity tackle its carbon dioxide problem.