Ice 9 is a chemical Kurt Vonnegut invented which would start a chain reaction in water and freeze every molecule of water on the Earth. Everybody dies and cue the fat lady to sing. I believe that one was delivered in "Cat's Cradle" but I'm not sure.
Today we have science which researches a bacteria which can process iron and methane to break them down so instead of freezing civilization, this bug can eat it. Kurt Vonnegut smiles. (Science Daily: Microbe hunters discover long-sought-after iron-munching microbe)
(Ed: he's dead)
He will wake up for this one just for the laugh.
If we can get past Silas trying to be clever, there's a serious environmental clean-up aspect to this.
The balance between methane-producing and -consuming processes has a major effect on the worldwide emission of this strong greenhouse gas into our atmosphere. The team of microbiologists and biogeochemists now discovered an archaeon -- the other branch of ancient prokaryotes besides bacteria -- of the order Methanosarcinales that uses iron to convert methane into carbon dioxide. During that process, reduced iron become available to other bacteria. Consequently, the microorganism initiates an energy cascade influencing the iron and methane cycle and thus methane emissions, describe first authors Katharina Ettwig and Baoli Zhu in the paper.
The newly discovered process could also lead to new insights into the early history of our planet. Already billions of years ago, Methanosarcinales archaea might have abundantly thrived under the methane-rich atmosphere in the ferruginous (iron holding) Archaean oceans, 4 to 2.5 billion years ago. More information on the metabolism of this organism can therefore shed new light on the long-standing discussion of the role of iron metabolism on early earth.
Today we have science which researches a bacteria which can process iron and methane to break them down so instead of freezing civilization, this bug can eat it. Kurt Vonnegut smiles. (Science Daily: Microbe hunters discover long-sought-after iron-munching microbe)
(Ed: he's dead)
He will wake up for this one just for the laugh.
If we can get past Silas trying to be clever, there's a serious environmental clean-up aspect to this.
The balance between methane-producing and -consuming processes has a major effect on the worldwide emission of this strong greenhouse gas into our atmosphere. The team of microbiologists and biogeochemists now discovered an archaeon -- the other branch of ancient prokaryotes besides bacteria -- of the order Methanosarcinales that uses iron to convert methane into carbon dioxide. During that process, reduced iron become available to other bacteria. Consequently, the microorganism initiates an energy cascade influencing the iron and methane cycle and thus methane emissions, describe first authors Katharina Ettwig and Baoli Zhu in the paper.
- Science Daily
We're still concerned, however, since what happens when you release billions of iron-eating bacteria and they run out of anything to eat in the immediate application area. We assume they continue along then to eat New York.
The science goes on to conclude with the perspective the research gives on processes on the early Earth. The suggest ways such bacteria could be used in one environmental application in cleaning up waste water but generally they're directed toward how these bacteria ever came to exist and what did they do.
- Science Daily
We're tired of Silas trying to be clever so we segue to awareness of oil-eating bacteria and other such applications for biological solutions. We're not clear on the efficacy of such solutions but this research is another example of looking for those types of organisms which can yield some positive environmental benefit.
We're mindful of how attempts to alter the ecological balance in any environment are usually not well-recommended but the scientists are more aware than we. Unknown who originated the idea of introducing mongoose to Hawaii but the idea is they would control the rat population which was wreaking havoc in sugar cane plantations. There was one tiny problem since mongoose are active in the day time whereas rats are active at night so there was not much effect on the rats but a huge effect on unique native bird populations, some of which were wiped out.
That story is everywhere so there's not likely a scientist anywhere who wants to be tagged with a fiasco like that. Mongoose are now considered an invasive species in Hawaii and various other places as well.
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