SynBio13: SynBio and Food/Agriculture (v1.0)

It is estimated that we will have to increase our food production by 70% by 2050 to meet demand. Over 40% of land surface has already been converted to agriculture production. Moreover, the global agriculture industry as it stands already emits more greenhouse gases than the global transportation industry. 

Nitrogen fixing bacteria in the soil transforms atmospheric nitrogen into fixed nitrogen that plants use. Since the early 20th century, we have had processes that mimic this process mechanically by pulling nitrogen from the air as a step in making chemical fertilizers. Today, we’ve nearly doubled the natural rate of nitrogen available in soils.  An estimated 1/3 of global food production is made possible by its use, with 100 million tons applied to Earth’s surface annually. But its use has come at a price. When nitrogen fertilizer is applied faster than plants can use it, soil bacteria convert it to nitrate.  Water-soluble nitrate is flushed out of soils in runoff, where it pollutes groundwater, streams, estuaries, and coastal oceans. In farming communities, it’s not uncommon for nitrate to render drinking wells unusable. In streams and rivers, as on land, nitrate encourages plant growth. When aquatic plants die, their decomposition strips oxygen from the water, causing fish and shellfish to die. At the mouth of the Mississippi River, in the Gulf of Mexico, agricultural pollution has resulted in a dead zone the size of New Jersey. There are other such regions in the world. Ammonia is volatized from nitrogen fertilizer, and it forms fine particles in the atmosphere that are hazardous to human health. As the popularity of confined animal feeding operations has increased, so have emissions of ammonia, which can be traced to the nitrogen in feed crops. Finally, nitrification releases a small amount of nitrous oxide which mixes into the stratosphere, where it destroys ozone. Not only does nitrous oxide destroy the ozone layer, it contributes to the greenhouse effect. For policy makers, nitrogen may be the new carbon.

Synthetic biology and nitrogen fixation are fascinating topics! Let’s delve into them:

Synthetic Nitrogen Fixation:

• Biological nitrogen fixation is a natural process where certain microorganisms convert atmospheric nitrogen (N₂) into ammonia (NH₃), which plants can use as a nutrient.
• However, this process occurs under ambient conditions and is not efficient for large-scale industrial use.
• Synthetic biology aims to enhance nitrogen fixation by using engineered organisms or molecular catalysts.
• Since the early 21st century, researchers have made significant progress in catalytic conversion of N₂ into NH₃ under ambient conditions using molecular catalysts.
• These catalysts mimic the biological process and utilize H₂O as a proton source.
• The goal is to achieve nitrogen fixation rates comparable to those found in nature. 

Engineering Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria:

• Synthetic biology tools are employed to enhance biological nitrogen fixation.
• Researchers explore genetic components to improve nitrogen-fixing abilities in associated bacteria.
• This strategy is crucial for increasing crop yield to meet global food demand. 

Engineered cereal crops:

• Another exciting approach involves engineering cereal crops to fix nitrogen.
• By doing so, we can reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers, benefiting both developed and developing regions. 

Remember, nitrogen fixation plays a vital role in sustaining life on Earth, and these innovative approaches contribute to a more sustainable future! Pivot Bio's PROVEN 40 is an example of a commercial product available today. 

Animal farming has a detrimental impact on the environment. Here are some ways animal farming affects the environment/ecology:

• Raising animals for food is inefficient, cruel, and energy intensive and contributes significantly to the climate crisis we face today. 
• Animal agriculture is the second largest contributor to human made greenhouse gas emissions after fossil fuels and is a leading cause of deforestation.  
• Livestock systems have a significant impact on the environment, including air, soil, water and biodiversity. 

SynBio may have a solution by growing meat - cultured meat. These are from cultured animal cells, but it can be augmented with tissue engineering for even more authentically looking, tasting meats. The first lab grown/cultured burger was unveiled in 2013.  Technically any species animal cells can be cultured - from water buffalo to kangaroo. Perhaps someday we may be able to go to the supermarket and have our pick of specialty cultured meats. Impossible burger - a different approach made wholly from plants - was introduced in 2016.

This section goes beyond just agriculture. Invasive species (example mosquitoes and ticks) spread disease across humans/animals as well as impacting biodiversity. Also, pests destroy crops and impact agriculture. These have been a bane for humans and challenging to control. In 2016, the New Zealand government launched a program to significantly reduce their invasive population called Predator free 2050. Can the species be genetically modified to reduce or eliminate the threat? The idea is to use CRISPR gene editing in combination with a gene drive. But the suggestion of using a gene drive set off a firestorm of debate worldwide. Gene drives especially for mammals is especially concerning. A better target for gene drives might be insects, especially disease carrying ones. An example could have been the 2015 outbreak of a new strain of Zica virus in Latin America that caused havoc (spread through mosquito and from infected pregnant female to child).