Can Microbes Clean Up Our Oily Mess? - Instant Egghead #58

Summary

Modern civilization's reliance on oil has resulted in daily spills, with occasional catastrophic events like the Exxon-Valdez disaster. However, microbes play a crucial role in mitigating these environmental impacts, as they consume vast amounts of oil and plastics. These microscopic organisms, including those in the ‘plastisphere’ that feed on plastic waste, have been essential in cleanup efforts, such as after the BP oil spill. Through synthetic biology, scientists aim to enhance these microbes' abilities to tackle oil and plastic pollution more efficiently, providing hope for cleaning up the mess we've created.

Takeaways

• 😀 Modern civilization consumes around 90 million barrels of oil every day, leading to significant environmental impacts.
• 😀 Oil spills occur on average 70 times daily, though most are small and inconsequential.
• 😀 Major oil spills, like the Exxon-Valdez and BP's Macondo well, create spectacular environmental disasters.
• 😀 Cleanup efforts for large oil spills involve using booms and burning, but microbes help by consuming leftover oil.
• 😀 Bacteria and other microbes played a major role in reducing the environmental impact of BP's Gulf oil spill by consuming most of the oil.
• 😀 A massive microbial bloom, estimated at 100 sextillion cells, helped mitigate the Gulf oil spill disaster.
• 😀 Microbes have evolved to consume oil and gas that seep from the ocean floor, turning hydrocarbons into more microbial cells.
• 😀 Plastics, made from oil, are ubiquitous in the environment, contributing to problems like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
• 😀 The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is now home to microbes that eat plastics, forming a new ecosystem called the plastisphere.
• 😀 Through synthetic biology, scientists could potentially enhance microbes' ability to break down oil and plastic, speeding up the cleanup process.
• 😀 While it’s better to prevent pollution, microbes play a crucial role in cleaning up the messes humans create.

Q & A

How much oil does modern civilization consume daily?

Modern civilization consumes approximately ninety million barrels of oil every day.

What is the average number of oil spills reported daily?

The US Environmental Protection Agency reports an average of seventy oil spills every day, most of which are insignificant.

What are some examples of major oil spills mentioned in the script?

Two significant oil spills mentioned are the Exxon-Valdez spill off the coast of Alaska and the BP Macondo well disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

How do humans attempt to clean up large oil spills?

Humans attempt to clean up large oil spills by using booms to corral the oil or by burning it off. However, some of the oil remains in the environment, where microbes help clean it up.

What role do microbes play in oil spill clean-up?

Microbes, particularly bacteria, consume much of the spilled oil. For example, during the BP Gulf oil spill, a large bloom of microbes helped eat most of the 4.1 million barrels of oil, preventing it from spreading further.

What is the scale of microbial activity in oil spill clean-up?

The microbial bloom that helped with the BP oil spill was estimated to consist of around 100 sextillion microbial cells.

What is the plastisphere?

The plastisphere is a new ecosystem created by tiny microbes that thrive on plastic waste, such as that found in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

How do microbes affect plastic pollution?

Microbes that feed on plastic are helping to break down the plastic pollution in environments like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, turning plastic into more microbial cells.

How could synthetic biology help in tackling plastic pollution?

Synthetic biology could enhance the ability of microbes to consume plastic more efficiently, potentially speeding up the clean-up of plastic waste.

What was the first genetically modified organism ever patented?

The first genetically modified organism to be patented was an oil-eating microbe, which was developed in 1980.