The Two Frontiers Project

Webinar this Thursday with Braden Tierney ! Come join us for a discussion about our new Extremophile Campaign with CitSci

Wondering what The Extremophile Campaign: In Your Home is really all about? Join us Thursday, Nov 21 for an webinar with Braden Tierney to get the microbial details ?? Join us for an Extremophile Campaign Webinar! Date: Thursday, 21 November 2024 Time: 10amPT/11amMT/12pmCT/1pm Length: 1 hour, 30 min Presentation and 30 min Q&A Location: Virtual (a link will be shared before the webinar) Braden Tierney, co-founder and executive director of the Two Frontiers Project, the lead institution behind The Extremophile Campaign: In Your Home, will share the story behind the science of The Extremophiles Campaign and discuss why your contributions are uniquely valuable to this research. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session where you can meet and chat with several members of the science team. Dr. Tierney is a jointly appointed fellow across the labs of Dr. Christopher Mason and Dr. George Church. His research sits at the intersection of machine learning, microbiology, and human health, studying how artificial intelligence can be used to enhance our ability to build next-generation microbial therapeutics, diagnostics for both human disease and environmental outcomes, with a focus on aerospace medicine and microbially driven molecular recycling (i.e., carbon capture). Additionally, he is the Director of Informatics for the MetaSUB consortium, which spans 30 countries and is, among other things, leading COVID-19 wastewater tracking efforts globally, as well as the Co-Chair of NASA’s Microbial Analysis Working Group, which develops standards and methods for studying the use of microbes in and their adaptation to space travel. The Extremophile Campaign: In Your Home is a partnership between The Two Frontiers Project Frontiers Project, CitSci.org and Seed Health. RSVP to the Webinar: https://lnkd.in/g4ZgPChu Link to the Project: https://lnkd.in/gSJDAQDG #microbes #twofrontiersproject #citizenscience #participatoryscience #molecularrecycling

What if a microbe could help curb the climate crisis? Meet UTEX-3222 (Cyanobacterium aponinum var vulcano), A.K.A. Chonkus, a cyanobacterium uncovered during our flagship expedition with The Two Frontiers Project to the volcanic CO? seeps of Vulcano, Sicily. ?? The findings from this discovery—now published in American Society for Microbiology’s Applied and Environmental Microbiology—reveal a microbe capable of contributing to the future of carbon capture and inspiring new innovations in microbial research. In 2022, our environmental research initiative, SeedLabs, partnered with The Two Frontiers Project to tap ‘extreme’ microbes that could unlock new methods of carbon capture. On our first flagship expedition, the team of researchers sampled water, sediment, and other microbial sources around volcanic CO? seeps. This led to the identification of a novel photosynthetic cyanobacterium highly efficient at consuming CO?, demonstrating traits that could potentially outperform leading carbon-capturing organisms. Chonkus is like other photosynthetic cyanobacteria in that it consumes CO? and incorporates it into its cells. However, what sets UTEX-3222 apart is its rapid, high-density growth, which allows it to consume CO? more efficiently than most other similar currently known cyanobacteria. It is also 5 to 10 times larger than the average microbial cell, allowing it to sink quickly after consuming CO?, sequestering the carbon away at the bottom of the ocean (or the test tube, so it can be captured!). ???? “Feasibly, if you can use the mechanisms through which Chonkus and other similar microbes consume CO?, you can do a couple of different things: You can either sequester carbon—some people suggest sinking it to the bottom of the ocean—or capture it from the air and bury it somewhere… Alternatively, you could focus on turning carbon into something valuable. For example, even as people continue driving cars and emitting CO?, microbes could capture some of that carbon and turn it into useful products, like bioplastics or, one day, biofuels—anything a microbe can produce,” explains Dr. Braden Tierney, Executive Director of The Two Frontiers Project. This work wouldn’t be possible without the contributions of all of the project’s collaborators. A special thank you and congratulations to the researchers from Università degli Studi di Palermo (Drs. Marco Milazzo and Paola Quatrini), Harvard Medical School and the Wyss Institute at Harvard University (Drs. George Church and Max Schubert), The Mason Lab, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (Drs. Francesco Italiano and Alessandro Gattuso), and the local community of Vulcano Island. ?? Dive into the findings from this research: https://lnkd.in/e7ABJgFh

Could your microwave help fight climate change? We think so. ?? Today we announce the launch of The Extremophile Campaign: In Your Home—a community science project in partnership with The Two Frontiers Project (2FP) and CitSci.org, supported by our environmental research initiative SeedLabs. Together we’re inviting community scientists across the U.S. to explore the extreme environments within their homes—think freezers, water heaters, and other places where microbes have adapted to harsh conditions. Though household environments may seem ordinary, these "everyday extremes" mirror future environmental challenges our planet might face, and the microbes living there could be key to unlocking future climate solutions. This project builds on our partnership with The Two Frontiers Project where we set out to answer a big question: Can we leverage microbes to capture CO? and transform it into something useful? On our first expedition, the 2FP team discovered a novel cyanobacterium highly efficient at consuming CO?, demonstrating traits that could potentially outperform leading carbon-capturing organisms, particularly in terms of biomass production (more on this soon ??) By studying extremophile microbes, we hope to unlock breakthroughs in carbon sequestration, ecosystem restoration, and CO? upcycling for sustainable products. Curious to learn more and get involved with The Extremophiles Campaign: In Your Home? Sign up here ?? https://lnkd.in/dnTEJU6i

Your home is alive in ways you may never have imagined! ?? We’ve just launched a unique chance for you to explore the hidden world of microbes thriving in unexpected places around your home—think microwaves, dishwashers, and even showerheads. ?? These incredible microorganisms, called “extremophiles,” flourish in environments that mimic Earth’s most challenging conditions, like high heat or intense dryness. While only a tiny fraction of microbial life has been studied, these organisms could hold the key to new solutions for climate challenges and breakthrough biotechnologies. ???? Want to join the discovery and become a Citizen Scientist? Check the link below to get involved and become a part of the Extremophile Campaign: In Your Home! https://lnkd.in/e3wy5DJk Seed Health, CitSci.org, James Henriksen, Krista Ryon, Braden Tierney, Gresia Cervantes, Sarah Newman, Greg Newman,

Could your microwave help fight climate change? We think so. ?? Today we announce the launch of The Extremophile Campaign: In Your Home—a community science project in partnership with The Two Frontiers Project (2FP) and CitSci.org, supported by our environmental research initiative SeedLabs. Together we’re inviting community scientists across the U.S. to explore the extreme environments within their homes—think freezers, water heaters, and other places where microbes have adapted to harsh conditions. Though household environments may seem ordinary, these "everyday extremes" mirror future environmental challenges our planet might face, and the microbes living there could be key to unlocking future climate solutions. This project builds on our partnership with The Two Frontiers Project where we set out to answer a big question: Can we leverage microbes to capture CO? and transform it into something useful? On our first expedition, the 2FP team discovered a novel cyanobacterium highly efficient at consuming CO?, demonstrating traits that could potentially outperform leading carbon-capturing organisms, particularly in terms of biomass production (more on this soon ??) By studying extremophile microbes, we hope to unlock breakthroughs in carbon sequestration, ecosystem restoration, and CO? upcycling for sustainable products. Curious to learn more and get involved with The Extremophiles Campaign: In Your Home? Sign up here ?? https://lnkd.in/dnTEJU6i

Braden Tierney, Executive Director of The Two Frontiers Project, explores life's greatest frontiers: the oceans and space. In the newest episode of The Climate Biotech Podcast, Braden and Daniel Goodwin discuss everything from sampling unique, ocean-dwelling microbes to confronting the biggest challenges climate biotech faces today. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts! ?? ?? Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gFRS4zA8 ?? Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gsPMRNgp