Mildly Interesting

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Meet ‘Chonkus,’ the Algae Trying to End the Climate Crisis (www.popularmechanics.com)

submitted 3 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

There is a world where some lab finally "solves" the rubisco "issue", and an algae escapes containment only to gobble up all the CO2 on the planet in a matter of decades and throw us into an ice-ball planet scenario, reminiscent of Cats Cradle (see the cat? see the cradle?).

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I think in this case the idea is that it needs the high temperature and toxic environment reminiscent of sulfur vents and it already is in the wild.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Sure. But as soon as some research group develops a work-around for competitive inhibition, well then, we might all be well and truly fucked. It would be an adaptation like the development of woody tissue before the advent of wood decomposing organisms. Basically, plants evolved to become trees, and CO2 went "I guess I'll be heading out", which was the time period where basically ALL fossil coal was laid down.

So while this finding seems interesting on its own merit, its not going to start an ice-age.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

You say that like it's going to happen.