Pivot Bio (United States)

Nature exhibits an enormous diversity of organisms that thrive in extreme environments. From snow algae that reproduce at sub-zero temperatures to radiotrophic fungi that thrive in nuclear radiation at Chernobyl, extreme organisms raise many questions about the limits of life. Is there any environment where life could not "find a way"? Although many individual extremophilic organisms have been identified and studied, there remain outstanding questions about the limits of life and the extent to which extreme properties can be enhanced, combined or transferred to new organisms. In this review, we compile the current knowledge on the bioengineering of extremophile microbes. We summarize what is known about the basic mechanisms of extreme adaptations, compile synthetic biology's efforts to engineer extremophile organisms beyond what is found in nature, and highlight which adaptations can be combined. The basic science of extremophiles can be applied to engineered organisms tailored to specific biomanufacturing needs, such as growth in high temperatures or in the presence of unusual solvents.

The ongoing climate crisis merits an urgent need to devise management approaches and new technologies to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations (GHG) in the near term. However, each year that GHG concentrations continue to rise, pressure mounts to develop and deploy atmospheric CO2 removal pathways as a complement to, and not replacement for, emissions reductions. Soil carbon sequestration (SCS) practices in working lands provide a low-tech and cost-effective means for removing CO2 from the atmosphere while also delivering co-benefits to people and ecosystems. Our model estimates suggest that, assuming additive effects, the technical potential of combined SCS practices can provide 30%-70% of the carbon removal required by the Paris Climate Agreement if applied to 25%-50% of the available global land area, respectively. Atmospheric CO2 drawdown via SCS has the potential to last decades to centuries, although more research is needed to determine the long-term viability at scale and the durability of the carbon stored. Regardless of these research needs, we argue that SCS can at least serve as a bridging technology, reducing atmospheric CO2 in the short term while energy and transportation systems adapt to a low-C economy. Soil C sequestration in working lands holds promise as a climate change mitigation tool, but the current rate of implementation remains too slow to make significant progress toward global emissions goals by 2050. Outreach and education, methodology development for C offset registries, improved access to materials and supplies, and improved research networks are needed to accelerate the rate of SCS practice implementation. Herein, we present an argument for the immediate adoption of SCS practices in working lands and recommendations for improved implementation.

Doubled haploid (DH) technology in maize takes advantage of in vivo haploid induction (HI) triggered by pollination of donors of interest with inducer genotypes. However, the ability of different donors to be induced—inducibility (IND), varies among germplasm and the underlying molecular mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, the phenotypic variation for IND in a mapping population of temperate inbred lines was evaluated to identify regions in the maize genome associated with IND. A total of 247 F2:3 families derived from a biparental cross of two elite inbred lines, A427 and CR1Ht, were grown in three different locations and Inclusive Composite Interval Mapping (ICIM) was used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for IND. In total, four QTL were detected, explaining 37.4% of the phenotypic variance. No stable QTL was found across locations. The joint analysis revealed QTL × location interactions, suggesting minor QTL control IND, which are affected by the environment.

Abstract The production and application of fertilizers are not only costly but can be harmful to the environment if misapplied; therefore, sustainability research has aimed to investigate alternatives to traditional nitrogen fertilizer applications. Biostimulants, including microbial inoculants, have been touted to enhance plant nutrition, growth, and stress tolerance, but research on warm‐season turfgrass is limited. Therefore, the objective of our research was to compare the establishment, quality, and function of bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) in response to commercially available microbial inoculants (Klebsiella variicola, Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus, and Azospirillum brasilense) in field and controlled environment experiments. Microbial inoculant applications in the field did not consistently increase the normalized vegetation difference index, turfgrass color, or turfgrass quality of hybrid bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. × Cynodon transvaalensis Burtt Davy] compared with the nontreated check. However, although the difference was not always significant, inoculated hybrid bermudagrass often exhibited higher carbon efflux measurements than the nontreated check, but the results were inoculant‐specific. No microbial inoculant resulted in greater common bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] root or shoot production in the greenhouse. Perennial cropping systems such as turfgrass may create greater challenges for microbial inoculant use and performance because of the presence of endemic microbial populations that are already adapted to survive and proliferate in turfgrass environments. Consequently, future research should examine inoculation frequency, soil and plant persistence, and the use of microbial blends to determine best management practices leading to the greatest opportunity for colonization and subsequent turfgrass benefits.

3D printers that build objects using extruded thermoplastic are quickly becoming commonplace tools in laboratories. We demonstrate that with appropriate handling, these devices are capable of producing sterile components from a non-sterile feedstock of thermoplastic without any treatment after fabrication. The fabrication process itself results in sterilization of the material. The resulting 3D printed components are suitable for a wide variety of applications, including experiments with bacteria and cell culture.

3D printers that build objects using extruded thermoplastic are quickly becoming common place tools in laboratories. We demonstrate that with appropriate handling, these devices are capable of producing sterile components from a non-sterile feedstock of thermoplastic without any treatment after fabrication. The fabrication process itself results in sterilization of the material. The resulting 3D printed components are suitable for a wide variety of applications, including experiments with bacteria and cell culture.