Environmental science is staring at the future-characterized by numerous innovations and possibilities. For instance, the discovery of CRISPR is making huge shockwaves as far as the conservation of the environment is concerned. Here are the top ways in which environmental science can benefit from CRISPR technology.
Introduction
CRISPR, the newest gene-editing technology, is effective in treating as well as preventing diseases. However, this tool goes beyond science. With CRISPR, you have a powerful genetic-based engineering tool that can help tackle things with environmental issues. Nowadays, scientists can use CRISPR design technologies to protect the environment. Remember, the environment is at the mercy of human destruction. Thus, technologies like CRISPR are coming in at the right time.
CRISPR Goes Beyond Cutting and Pasting
CRISPR isn't just a copy, paste tool. However, the truth is that is a special aspect of CRISPR. It makes CRISPR very important when it comes to solving complex genetic engineering issues. In fact, scientists can utilize CRISPR to:
Conduct simultaneous edits-this means that scientists have the power to edit several genes at a go-making it a special tool in the modern genetic engineering field.
Protein Particles-You can use CRISPR to send explicit genes to fine-tune any activity.
Marker-less changes-With CRISPR, it's easy to make those marker-less-based changes to your product. This is meant to cure those older genetic engineering methods that were often inefficient. In the older methods, you had to insert the mark for cell identity and editing. However, CRISPR eliminates these issues, making it a smart technology when it comes to marking the cells.
CRISPR offers you the best way to deal with environmental science. In fact, it makes the CRISPR a very valuable tool when it comes to tweaking multiple genetic-based processes. They can be also a valuable tool for building an entire pathway
BIOFUELS
Carbon dioxide, as well as sunlight, is naturally tuned into by-products by plants, cyanobacteria, as well as algae. This is a biological process. In the process, sugars, fats, and alcohol are produced. According to experts, these things are good sources of fuels. According to scientists, CRISPR can work on certain cyanobacteria as well as algae species. They can also do the same to biofuel crops. Bacteria are great at breaking down plant cell walls to produce biofuels. Still more, there are certain species that are very good at generating fuel-based precursors from all sorts of waste products. These waste products include land mill methane. And here is where CRISPR comes in. Designed to explicitly edit cells and genes, CRISPR can be used on key bacteria-containing pathways to produce biofuels.
It's important to get these organisms to grow naturally. From here, they churn out the biofuel-based precursors. The good thing is that CRISPR offers a high level of efficacy as well as precision when handling complex genetic engineering issues. This makes CRISPR a very important technology when it comes to the production of biofuels.
Production of Bioplastics
Besides fuels, there are other petroleum products. For instance, certain types of yeasts can be used to produce compounds that are similar to plastics. They are known as bioplastics. However, these materials aren't very abundant. That's where CRISPR comes in. Designed to edit genes accurately, CRISPR can be used to make these compounds to be more abundant. This makes it extremely easy and effective to produce bioplastics using CRISPR technology.
Bioremediation
CRISPR is also beneficial when it comes to bioremediation. It's also important to note that certain microbes are engineered in such a way that they can degrade plastics. Also, there are certain bacterial species as well as fungi that occur naturally. These elements can effectively degrade any compound found in plastics.
That's what CRISPR is all about. You can use CRISPR technology to improve the genetic pathways of these processes. That's why the application of CRISPR in microbes for degrading plastics is a ripe idea right now in environmental science. Still more, CRISPR can be used in a myriad of bioremediation processes. For example, it's common to find scientists using CRISPR to engineer microbes and plants to take up more metals, spills, as well as clean up oil. It can also be used for improving water treatment processes.
Biosensing
Like bioremediation, biosensing involves the use of sensors to detect certain molecules. Also, in place of sensors, you can use probates to detect some of these molecules. It's important to note that, naturally, plants and microbes, are like biosensors. This means that they can respond or create triggers when it comes to detecting certain types of molecules. They respond to chemicals. Scientists have come up with ways of reengineering these responses as well as detection pathways. For instance, there is an effort to engineer plants that are capable of detecting and signaling bioweapon and pathogen presence. The same applies to plants and organisms for detecting potential environmental pollutants. After identifying a pollutant, bioremediation could be triggered by the biosensor. Here is where CRISPR comes in handy. It makes it easy to network this complex engineering process for a better life.
Dealing with Greenhouse Gas Emissions
One of the greatest benefits of CRISPR is that it gives humankind alternative sources of energy. However, that's isn't all. CRISPR is effective at addressing biological greenhouse emission-based sources. It's important to note that burning fossil fuels is heavily linked to the excessive production of carbon dioxide. This gas can hugely pollute the environment. However, atmospheric methane is more potent and comes from bacteria. The main sources of these bacteria include wetlands, cow's gut, and rice fields. You can tweak a cow's genetics-or its feeds-to produce lower levels of belches in beef. This genetic engineering technique can be amplified by the use of CRISPR. With CRISPR, you have a technique that can speed up the process and improve its efficiency.
Additional Ways
CRISPR can also be used in the following applications:
- Reducing pesticides
- Effective use of water
- Nitrogen fixation processes
The Bottom-Line
CRISPR is the newest technology in environmental science. Based on gene-editing technology, CRISPR can help you conserve the environment through science. Equipped with advanced gene-editing features, CRISPR is all you need to take your environmental science game to another new level. The above are ways environmental science can benefit from CRISPR.
