In World First, Scientists Reprogram Bacteria to Exist Solely By Consuming CO2 From the Air
The research, which was conducted in the laboratory of Professor Ron Milo of the Weizmann Institute of Science, was reported this week in Cell.
The study began by identifying crucial genes for the process of carbon fixation—the way plants take carbon from CO2 for the purpose of turning it into such biological molecules as protein and DNA. After adding and rewiring the needed genes, the researchers found that many of the "parts" for the machinery that were already present in the bacterial genome could be used as is.
Problem solved. Now we just have to keep the bacteria in check...
Once they eat up all the available CO2 in the atmosphere, they will have to learn how to eat other carbon to survive. They might start on cellulose, and eat all our forests. No more wood. It would be like weaning them off CO2, and back onto a sugar-like compound.
BTW, the sugars, starches, and various forms of cellulose are all made from carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, often with as few other chemicals added in.
Since there are oil eating microbes, and metal eating microbes, maybe we could train some to build our cars for us, and convert the pollution back into fuel.