Asking "What Would Nature Do?" Leads to a Way to Break Down a Greenhouse Gas

A recent discovery in understanding how to chemically break down the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into a useful form opens the doors for scientists to wonder what organism is out there to accomplish the task. Researchers have now figured out a way to efficiently turn carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide using visible light, like sunlight.

"This is a first step in showing it's possible, and imagine microbes doing something similar," says Steve Ragsdale, lead researcher on the project. "I don't know of any organism that uses light energy to activate carbon dioxide and reduce it to carbon monoxide, but I can imagine either finding an organism that can do it, or genetically engineering one to channel light energy to coax it to do that."

Image credit: Steve Ragsdale