A Citizen Science Project is Looking for Carbon-Capturing Microbes in Springs

A trio of science organizations has embarked on the next phase of an effort to discover new microorganisms that could revolutionize carbon capture and ecosystem restoration in everyday places.

The newest iteration of The Extremophile Campaign is an expansion of the first installment — launched last year by the biotech company Seed Health, the research nonprofit Two Frontiers Project and the global citizen science platform CitSci — which engaged citizen scientists to collect microbes from home environments that mimic extreme conditions found in nature.

Microbes have adapted to thrive in extreme environments — from deep-sea vents to Antarctic ice — and are also found in everyday places like freezers, dishwashers and water heaters, Braden Tierney, executive director of Two Frontiers Project, told TriplePundit in an email. Their ability to survive rising heat, radiation, and acidity may hold clues to future climate solutions. 

While it is early in the analysis process and samples are still coming in, there have been some interesting results from the first part of the campaign, he said. 

“We’re seeing incredible diversity of microbial life coming from people’s homes — more than we initially expected, especially in HVAC systems,” Tierney said. “We are particularly excited about the organisms here, as based on their coloration and location, we expect them to be involved in carbon sequestration.”

But Tierney said he thinks the most striking finding so far is how eager participants are to contribute to the fight against climate change in this way. 

“We have had a huge upwelling of enthusiasm from nearly everyone we talk to, from friends and family to HVAC professionals,” Tierney said. “I think this highlights the enthusiasm for understanding microbial life, and a very pointed shift from viewing microbes as ‘bad pathogens’ to ‘helpful friends.’”

The new phase of the initiative expands the search for microbes beyond the home and into some of the most under-explored natural landscapes on the planet: natural springs that contain high levels of carbon dioxide, he said. Also known as soda springs, they range in temperature from hot to cold. 

“Our focus is on local carbon dioxide springs across the United States, many of which have never been studied in depth,” Tierney said. “This phase invites the public to help map these locations, effectively allowing us to create a database that could serve as the foundation for future exploration.”

Citizen scientist volunteers can share information, photos and observations about these springs and other unusual springs they know of on CitSci’s website or app, and those with access to and permission to sample springs for unique microbes can reach out to the team for a specialized kit to collect a sample and send it in.

“A fundamental principle in microbiology is that if you’re looking for a microbe that can metabolize a specific compound — whether it’s an environmental contaminant or carbon dioxide in the ocean — you’ll likely find it in an extreme environment where that compound is abundant,” Tierney said. “The unique geochemistry of these environments fosters a wealth of specialized microbial metabolisms, making them a goldmine for scientific discovery.”

Heat-tolerant bacteria could help produce clean energy like hydrogen, while others may turn carbon dioxide into bioplastics or biofuels, he said. Species like Pseudomonas already break down pollutants, and microbes in detergent-rich spots like dishwashers could inspire new ways to clean contaminated sites.

Many of the challenges the campaign faces are logistics, such as effectively communicating what’s going on, staying engaged with volunteers, and designing sampling protocols and kits that anyone can readily use, Tierney said. 

Eventually applying these discoveries on a larger scale comes with its own set of challenges, he said. For example, when bacteria absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide, they rapidly accumulate biomass. The key challenge — and opportunity — is finding ways to use that biomass so the captured carbon stays stored. Since scaling microbial carbon capture is difficult, it's a major focus of the team’s ongoing work.

“Microbes like the ones we’ve discovered, which thrive in high-carbon environments, are a powerful tool in specific contexts, but they’re just one part of the larger solution,” Ara Katz, co-CEO of Seed Health, told 3p in an email. “The urgency of the climate crisis means we must explore every possible approach — from policy changes to reduce emissions to harnessing novel methods like microbial carbon capture.” 

During the next decade, Katz said she expects microbial innovations to shift to the forefront of climate solutions, driven by advances that accelerate the discovery and use of climate-resilient microbes like the ones this initiative was created to find.

“This crowdsourced approach helps scientists build a much larger and more diverse catalog of microbial life, giving people a chance to play a direct role in meaningful discoveries,” Katz said. “It also makes science feel more approachable, something you can take part in, not just read about.”

Microbes that show promise for carbon dioxide removal and environmental restoration have already been identified, but understanding their potential requires further testing, Tierney said. All samples from the project will be placed in an open-source database to help scientists better understand microbial diversity and its potential applications for climate resilience.

“As we’ve seen with past discoveries, the most unexpected places can reveal the most powerful solutions,” Tierney said. “By targeting sites with high carbon dioxide concentrations, extreme temperatures, or other environmental stressors, we’re building on what we’ve learned and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible to help restore the planet.”