Carbon Dioxide is
killing our environment. For years, scientists have been struggling to discover
ways of reducing carbon emissions on our planet. Now we have a way!
Physicist Lisa Dyson was exploring new techniques of recycling CO2 with one of
her colleagues when she happened upon some NASA research from the 1960’s. The
research focused on microbes aboard spacecraft’s and their ability to absorb
CO2 from astronauts’ breath and transform it into food. This sparked an
epiphany for Dyson, who co-founded, and serves as the current CEO of, Kiverdi,
a company that focuses on using this new technology to recycle carbon monoxide.
At Kiverdi, Dyson and her team use the NASA technique to develop microbe-based
alternatives to things such as palm oil, citrus oil, and even a protein
replacement for use in food and animal feed. Dyson along with the rest of the
Kiverdi team are now working to make other products with recycled CO2. She
believes if Kiverdi can show the world that her method is environmentally and
economically sustainable, people will begin to adopt their method.
There were
multiple motivating factors that lead Dyson to this breakthrough. Population
growth that is expected to exceed 10 Billion in 2050 is raising a huge concern:
how will we feed and power the Earth in a sustainable way? Current
manufacturing methods are disrupting natural ecosystems as well as spewing out
tons of carbon dioxide into the environment. The fact that we as a human
population can do better motivated Dyson to undertake and promote this research.
The potential of her work is enormous, potentially a solution to the planets
population problem. Imagine being able to reduce the effects of climate change
by recycling carbon dioxide! That is a solution that even climate change
deniers can’t deny as extremely efficient and creative.
As we read in the Smith
and Ward article, creative thinking is often a combination of many different
cognitive structures and variables that come together to construct the creative
product. Dyson’s acknowledgment of the problems that Earth will face in the
near future as well as her discovery of the NASA research both played major
roles in her work. Without either of those variables, she most likely would not
have pursued carbon reuse as a practical solution. With regards to her motivation, it appears as though
she was motivated both intrinsically and extrinsically. Intrinsically by wishing to live in a cleaner, more efficient world, and extrinsically by wanting to literally save the planet from catastrophic food shortages. It would have never occurred to me, or the average mind, that carbon dioxide can be repurposed and used as anything useful, let alone food! Dyson's discovery shows the importance of critical thinking as well as how useful simply stumbling upon old research can be in the creative process.
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This is incredible! What a novel use for carbon dioxide. I like that you chose a creative in the environmental science field and that you demonstrated the benefit of revisiting past efforts. I also find it very reassuring that someone as innovative as Dyson might save us all from the inevitable heat death of the universe, y'know?
ReplyDeleteIt's a relief to see a solution to an environmental problem. All too often one sees just another problem being noticed or written about with no solution, but this is greatly intriguing to see someone gaining ground in the positive direction.
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