An astrobiologist, an engineer and an ecologist walk into a lab.... They call themselves Atmospherica and they've teamed up to mitigate the worst effects of climate change.
The team includes Dennis Apai, a University of Arizona professor of astronomy and planetary sciences who studies planets orbiting other stars; Joel Cuello, a professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering and BIO5 Institute member; Régis Ferrière, an associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology; Martin Schlecker, an astrophysicist and postdoctoral research associate; and Jack Welchert, a biosystems engineering doctoral student.
On Earth, the carbon cycle plays a key role in maintaining conditions for life. Earth releases carbon into the atmosphere and reabsorbs it through geological and biological processes. But humans have released more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than the carbon cycle naturally would, causing global temperatures to rise.
The Atmospherica team hopes to be a part of the solution, by harnessing the power of algae.