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🗞️ Driving the news: Scientists from the Two Frontiers Project are searching for extremophile microbes in unusual home environments like dishwashers and air conditioners
• These resilient microbes, capable of surviving extreme conditions, may help in carbon capture or environmental cleanup
• Volunteers in the U.S. are being asked to identify microbial growth, with promising samples to be further analyzed for potential climate solutions

🔭 The context: Extremophile microbes thrive in harsh environments, similar to future climate conditions on Earth, such as high temperatures and increased acidity
• A previous discovery by the team in 2022 identified a cyanobacterium near volcanic vents in Italy that absorbs CO2 more efficiently than known microbes
• This home-based search aims to expand the pool of microbes with potential carbon-absorbing abilities

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Microbial carbon capture offers a sustainable approach to removing CO2 from the atmosphere, potentially converting it into valuable products like fuels or chemicals
• With the urgent need to reduce atmospheric carbon, exploring innovative methods such as this complements efforts to cut fossil fuel use
• The UN emphasizes that carbon removal is essential alongside emission reductions

⏭️ What's next: The project will build an open-source database of extremophile microbes for further research
• While microbial carbon capture is still in the early stages, it could become part of a diversified strategy for addressing climate change
• Future developments may also explore microbes' use in environmental remediation, such as cleaning up heavy metal or oil pollution

💬 One quote: “The urgency of the climate crisis means we must explore every possible approach” — Ara Katz, co-CEO of Seed Health

📈 One stat: The World Economic Forum named microbial carbon capture as one of the top emerging technologies in 2024

Click for more news covering the latest on carbon capture & storage