A.I. Fuels

Dr. Craig Venter, well-known for his work in genomics, is arguing for the creation of artificial life.  He believes that artificial lifeforms could be engineered to serve specific scientific and technological purposes.  Some examples would be bacterial fuel cells, or organisms that can capture carbon and convert coal to energy without burning it.

Some scientists argue that Venter's controversial ideas, particularly the creation of reproduceable life on a microscopic scale, such as bacteria, could end up being as much of a threat to pre-existing life as the current energy crisis itself.

GFDL photo by Michael Janich