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

(08/22/2026) 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. 

Bibliography for chapter 2:

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Gumuskaya, Gizem, Pranjal Srivastava, Ben G. Cooper, et al. “Motile Living Biobots Self‐Construct from Adult Human Somatic Progenitor Seed Cells.” Advanced Science 11, no. 4 (2023): 2303575. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202303575.

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Mayfield, Stephen, and Michael Burkart. “The Algae Revolution 2.0: The Potential of Algae for the Production of Food, Feed, Fuel and Bioproducts – Why We Need It Now.” The Biochemist 43, no. 6 (2021): 34–38. https://doi.org/10.1042/bio_2021_190.

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A black smoker hydrothermal vent on the seafloor.

By MARUM − Zentrum für Marine Umweltwissenschaften, Universität Bremen - MARUM, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76498971