(2/2) The Next Industrial Revolution

Organic synthesis
http://www.littletree.com.au/dna.htm
Blanche et al. (1992) Biosynthesis of vitamin B12 in Pseudomonas denitrificans: the biosynthetic sequence from precorrin-6y to precorrin-8x is catalyzed by the cobL gene product. J. Bacteriol. 174 (3): 1050-1052.
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2001/public.html
http://nzic.org.nz/ChemProcesses/forestry/4E.pdf
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/1999/ast14dec99_1/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enantiomers
Liese A, Filho M (1999). "Production of fine chemicals using biocatalysis". Curr Opin Biotechnol 10 (6): 595--603.
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/1999/ast14dec99_1/
Bioelectrical power + H2
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080103101137.htm
http://www.wired.com/cars/energy/news/2007/11/hydrogen_bacteria
Biomining
http://www.formatex.org/microbio/pdf/Pages100-107.pdf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wO3blbL8sM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pCocvItXUk
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/csj/970124/bacteria.html
Plastics
http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/09/22/scientists-develop-plastic-producing-bact...
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/csj/970124/bacteria.html
http://news.therecord.com/article/354044
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=turning-bacteria-into-plasti...
http://www.webcitation.org/5hAFnnoxO
http://www.earthlife.net/prokaryotes/technology.html
Agriculture
http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infonews/release/1997/109%20Getting%20bacteria%20...
Fighting disease
http://www.wikipedia.org/wolbachia
http://www.wikipedia.org/Dengue_Fever
http://malaria.wellcome.ac.uk/doc_WTX035357.html
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/323/5910/141
(http://malaria.wellcome.ac.uk/doc_WTX035357.html)
(http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/12/one_parasite_to_rule_them_all_­-_wolbachia_protects_against_m.php)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T79-4CDG0B8-2&...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probiotics

Category:

Education

Tags:

• micro
• organisms
• bacteria
• science
• industry
• pharmacy
• biotechnology
• genetic
• engineering
• organic
• synthesis
• B12
• Escherichia
• coli
• insulin
• pseudomonas
• denitrificans
• enzymes
• enantiomers
• medical
• chemistry
• antibiotics
• bioelectrical
• power
• electricity
• hydrogen
• gas
• biomining
• Thiobacillus
• ferroxidans
• bioplastics
• Alcaligenes
• eutrophas
• bacillus
• megaterium
• subtilis
• agriculture
• nitrogen
• dengue
• fever
• Aedes
• aegypti
• mosquitoes
• Wolbachia
• malaria
• Anopheles
• Falciparum
• probiotics
• NASA
• deinococcus
• radiodurans

[HonestDiscussioner]

Looks like I got a bunch right.

My only concern though Wildcard is that it could all go horribly wrong at some point. What if "Conan the Bacterium" was used extensivley enough that it evolved into something that could harm humans? What is the possibility of a superbug that wipes out most of humanity arising from using this technology?

[UNFFwildcard]

There is always the power to do great harm with the next technological advancement. In malicious or incompetent hands, we can engineer bacteria that will make the Black Death look like weekend sniffles. It is a risk, but one that can be greatly minimized through diligent observation, regulation of activities, and adherence to ethical guidelines.

[manutdfan4321]

you could almost do a mirror of this video series with fungus, Im considering undertaking a project like that if I did would you mind if posted it as a respones to this video?

[kevinscales]

@BlowDevilUp Your right. But I still think the chances of a extinction level superbug coming about by accident would be about the same as nature coming up with one. A random mutation (or 10) would have to first disable all the safety features built into the bug to prevent it from infecting and spreading in humans.

[buzzausa]

10 seconds in and you show "organic synthesis" (what I do) with Enya (music I love) in the background.

Whatever the rest of the video is....I'm happy. ;)

[BlowDevilUp]

@kevinscales The entire point of the video is about showing man's ability to make possible things otherwise deemed impossible. Surely you would agree that the kind of tools and techniques used are at least working against a probability gradient in nature.

[BlowDevilUp]

"There is a lot of biomass out there that we look at simply as energy stored in the wrong place"

That quote is classic. The sentiment is as old as heterotrophy. I just love the way the new predators move, so graceful.

[mrkurt13]

underwatched indeed.

[owchywawa]

Thanks for this. Is this the field you are going into? Ironically, I just signed up for a biotechnology class at a local biotech laboratory; this should be my future research. :)

Out of curiosity, do they have some kind of control on the lifespan on the populations? It would seem there would be problems maintaining a population with benefits for humans. Either natural selection would cause the loss of the benefits for us, or they could turn around an eat cars (exaggeration :P).

[kevinscales]

@HonestDiscussioner I would imagine that it is not much more likely than the same thing evolving without our interference, but i'm no expert, so i'd be interested in an experts view on this too.