Truemors
is reporting from
Member
NP Rank:
NP Rank:
Turning Bacteria into Plastic Factories
Share:
by Erik Larson | September 17, 2008 at 09:21 am
5223 views | 34 Recommendations | 13 comments
Photos
Energy and cost efficient, and environmentally friendly. Instead of fighting wars and torturing to control oil drilling and distribution in the middle east, and causing environmental threats, pollution and destruction by drilling, refining and transporting, these people are growing non-food competing sugar stocks from cheap and plentiful materials, and engaging in a win-win transaction with their plastic-excreting bacteria; they feed the bacteria their sugar, and harvest an essential and expensive ingredient in making plastic, to replace the destructive petroleum-based one.
Escherichia coli (E. coli) can give you a severe case of food poisoning or, with a little genetic engineering, a useful plastic. Scientists at San Diego–based Genomatica, Inc., have announced success in manipulating the bacteria to directly produce butanediol (BDO), a chemical compound used to make everything from spandex to car bumpers, thereby providing a more energy-efficient way of making it without oil or natural gas.
What is NowPublic?
NowPublic lets people work together to cover news events around the world.
Crowd Power
enwudz
Arlington, Massachusetts, United Statesgwhiteway
Canada
Erik Larson
Washington, District Of Columbia, United States
scamazine
Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, United Statesalex11792
Traverse City, Michigan, United StatesJaimePac
Chile
Sculapia
Boston, Massachusetts, United Statesbjarkihalldors
Icelandalterdimaggio1957
Ercolano, Italyhug_jamie
Fair Oaks, California, United StatesElina Martha J.
Latviasm_mic_81
Tehran, IranMuttaqillah
Malaysiasatiata
Sierra Vista, Arizona, United Stateschexee
Reno, Nevada, United Statesecarey
Columbus, Indiana, United StatesWearn
Mountain View, California, United States
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (13)
at 11:16 on September 17th, 2008
Erik Larson, I like this story. It's good stuff. "E-coli bacterias produce plastic",
Escherichia coli (E. coli) can give you a severe case of food poisoning or, with a little genetic engineering, a useful plastic. Scientists at San Diego–based Genomatica, Inc., have announced success in manipulating the bacteria to directly produce butanediol (BDO), a chemical compound used to make everything car bumpers; this is a way out....of petrol
at 12:49 on September 17th, 2008
Erik Larson, I like this story. It's good stuff.
This is a really excellent idea.
at 15:26 on September 17th, 2008
thanks, guys- yes, this is great- growing fuel oil and plastic from algae and bacteria, and harvesting energy from the sun, wind and waves- technological breakthroughs are happening at an increasing rate.
at 15:43 on September 17th, 2008
Erik Larson, I like this story. It's good stuff. Thanks for this good news story. Just goes to show how smart we humans can be if we put our minds to it.
at 02:56 on September 18th, 2008
What you see here are colonies of Escheriscia coli (E.coli), which is a bacteria, gram negative rod. It is a part of normal faecal flora but is also the most common bacteria in urinary infection. It occasionally causes infections in other areas of the body.
The agar plate contains MacConkey agar, a special agar for gram negative rods, it contains salts which prevent gram positive bacteria from growing.
Greetings, Bjarki
http://www.flickr.com/bjarkih/
http://www.bjarkih.org/
http://www.youtube.com/bjarkihalldors
http://www.bjarkih.com/
bjarkihalldors has contributed a photo to this story.
at 04:15 on September 18th, 2008
This particular dish is from Micrology Labs, that produces Coliscan Easygel. Purple colonies are E. coli, pink/magenta are other coliforms. Light blue, blue-green and white colonies are disregarded. Volunteer water quality monitoring groups use these as a reliable method for monitoring coliforms in a body of water.
at 03:07 on September 18th, 2008
E. coli has always been a popular model system for molecular geneticists. Prior to the development of recombinant DNA technology, there existed a large number of well-characterized mutants, gene regulation was understood and there was a ready availability of a wide selection of plasmids. Compared with other microbial systems it was matchless...
As I like everything about E. coli, I did my project about this nice bacteria:) we produced fibroblast growth factor in E. coli. I know we can produce almost everything in E. coli such as plastic.
sm_mic_81 has contributed a photo to this story.
at 03:06 on September 18th, 2008
As I like everything about E. coli, I did my project about this nice bacteria:)
we produced fibroblast growth factor in E. coli. I know we can produce almost everything in E. coli such as plastic.
at 06:15 on September 18th, 2008
Thanks!
chexee has contributed a photo to this story.
at 13:27 on September 18th, 2008
thanx for the photos of my last acid trip, y'all- E. coli is quite beautiful when it's under a microscope and not in my burger.
at 18:57 on September 18th, 2008
Escherichia coli (abbreviated as E. coli) are a large and diverse group of bacteria. Although most strains of E. coli are harmless, others can make you sick. Some kinds of E. coli can cause diarrhea, while others cause urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia, and other illnesses. Still other kinds of E. coli are used as markers for water contamination—so you might hear about E. coli being found in drinking water, which are not themselves harmful, but indicate the water is contaminated. It does get a bit confusing—even to microbiologists.
The picture shows a Gram-negative, nonsporeforming, rod-shaped bacteria that are often motile by means of flagella. On EMB agar E.coli colonies develop a purple color and have a characteristic green sheen.
Sculapia has contributed a photo to this story.
at 20:32 on September 18th, 2008
The picture is grainy because it was taken from a cell phone.
The photo is of an E. coli count on Petrifilm. E. coli produce blue colonies from glucuronidase action, and gas bubbles from lactose fermentation. The water sample was taken from the American River in Sacramento CA.
hug_jamie has contributed a photo to this story.
at 20:08 on September 19th, 2008
In order to examine bacterial transformation, an experiment was conducted in which non-pathogenic E.coli bacteria were treated with calcium chloride and heat shock. They were then were given a plasmid containing genes for ampicillin-resistance and pFluoroGreen™. Bacteria were then grown on ampicillin containing agar to select the bacteria with the plasmid. This experiment was conducted to show that E.coli could be transformed using plasmid and that the bacteria can be selected out when placed in an antibiotic solution. After the experiment, the bacteria were observed to see if the pFluoroGreen™ was produced by using long-wave ultraviolet light to see if the bacteria fluoresced. Several colonies grew on the ampicillin containing agar plate, and they fluoresced under ultraviolet light, which showed successful transformation of the E.coli. If the E.coli are given a plasmid and a proper heat shock the E.coli will transform and produce a desired protein
- This was my Abstract from my research paper in which I wrote for a Science-Mathematics-Technology honors program at my school. The experiment was conducted at a local community college, in a biochemical classroom, for I was not allowed at my highschool. I performed this experiment with the help of the Lab manager. If needed, I can send my entire document. Just email me.
alex11792 has contributed a photo to this story.