Venter is currently designing the genetics of an organism that can convert sewage into methane gas to be used as a fuel. If successful, this 100% sustainable methane could be used to replace fossil fuels as mankind’s primary source of energy.

This is a completely new concept for me – it was the first time I had ever heard of this idea. Initially, I started to wonder how controllable this organism will be. What would happen if it found it’s way out of the environment and started releasing methane in vast quantities into the atmosphere? After all, methane is a much more harmful greenhouse gas than CO2.

The counter argument may be that the organism would be given a short lifespan so that it would naturally die out after a few days or weeks. The problem with this argument is that the organism may mutate from its safe form into a dangerous uncontrollable one.

Perhaps it could be completely shielded from background radiation (which causes mutations). However, this may make the whole idea too expensive or impractical.

These are just my thoughts – and I’m only an enthusiast, not an authority. If you have anything to contribute, please leave a comment.

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