Designer organisms could be world's next fuel source

The scientist who cracked the human genome now hopes to exploit the properties of DNA to solve the world's pending energy crisis.

J. Craig Venter, who gained worldwide fame in 2000 when he mapped the human genetic code, is behind a new start-up called Synthetic Genomics, which plans to create new types of organisms that, ideally, would produce hydrogen, secrete nonpolluting heating oil or be able to break down greenhouse gases.

The initial focus will be on creating 'biofactories' for hydrogen and ethanol, two fuels seen as playing an increasing role in the cars of the future. Hydrogen also holds promise for heating homes and powering electronic devices.

The raw genetic material for these synthetic micro-organisms will come from a diverse set of genes from a variety of species, according to the company. While many of the genes will come from some of the aquatic micro-organisms that Venter and his colleagues discovered during extensive ocean voyages in the last two years, the company will also experiment with genes from large mammals such as dogs.

"Rapid advances in high-throughput DNA sequencing and synthesis, as well as high-performance computing and bioinformatics, now enable us to synthesise novel photosynthetic and metabolic pathways," Venter said in a statement earlier this year. "We are in an era of rapid advances in science and are beginning the transition from being able to not only read genetic code, but are now moving to the early stages of being able to write code."

A small but growing number of researchers are examining ways to tap the power of biology. At Stanford University, for instance, professor James Swartz has been conducting experiments on a soil micro-organism that uses energy absorbed from light to split water molecules, a chemical reaction that produces hydrogen. Typically, organisms that derive energy from the sun -- look no farther than the grass in your garden -- exploit that energy to grow.

In Cambridge, Massachusetts, GreenFuel Technologies has created 'bioreactors' filled with algae. The algae are fed with sunlight, water and carbon-carrying emissions from power plants. The algae are then harvested and turned into biodiesel fuel.