Robert Bryce: ‘Galactically Stupid’ and Other Random (Tardy) Notes from CERAWeek

…Perhaps the most compelling lecture was delivered on February 11, by Juan Enriquez, an authority on genetic engineering. The founder of Synthetic Genomics and the author of As The Future Catches You, Enriquez gave his view on what he sees as the looming revolution in synthetic life forms that will have a big impact on the energy sector.


In one of his slides, Enriquez showed a group of microscopic worms that were snacking on a small piece of coal. And just like a baby that eats beans, the worms, said Enriquez, are releasing a lot of methane. By genetically engineering those small animals, Enriquez said,