Genetically Engineered Bacteria

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the feasibility of genetically engineering cyanobacteria to survive in extreme climates and pressures, with the aim of using them for terraforming inhospitable planets that may have liquid water beneath their surfaces. The conversation explores theoretical applications and challenges related to this concept.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant proposes the idea of genetically engineering cyanobacteria to thrive in extreme environments and suggests using them to oxygenize other planets.
  • Another participant acknowledges the theoretical possibility of this idea but raises concerns about the practicality of using a typical jar and highlights the need for food sources for the bacteria.
  • A participant questions what additional food sources cyanobacteria would require beyond carbon dioxide and water, indicating a need for further clarification on the topic.
  • One participant asserts that light would be a necessary requirement for the cyanobacteria's survival.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the feasibility and requirements for genetically engineered cyanobacteria, indicating that multiple competing perspectives remain without consensus.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include unresolved questions about the specific needs of cyanobacteria in extreme environments and the practical challenges of implementing such a terraforming strategy.

kalladin
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Would it be feasible to genetically engineer cyanobacteria so that they could exist in extreme climates and pressures? Then, could we make a jar full of them and throw it into some inhospitable planet that we believe have liquid water underneath its surface, so that the bacteria could proliferate and eventually oxygenize the environment?

K.
 
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This is theoretically doable I believe and has been much discussed under the rubric of terraforming. I don't think a typlical jar would be enough, and there are other problems (bacteria are living creatures, so they need food).
 
What food would cyanobacteria require other than the high CO2 atmosphere of the planet, and the water that is supposedly underneath the surface of the planet?

Also, does anybody know any websites or articles about this topic? Are there any companies that are actually trying to do this?

K.
 
well.. they would definitely need light!
 

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