A bacteria that can capture carbon Could minuscule organisms help the world meet its climate goals? With global greenhouse gas emissions reaching an all-time high last year, many scientists and world leaders are now arguing that new technologies which can capture carbon and store it underground are needed to help the world meet its climate goals. And some believe that nature could provide a powerful solution. Microbes – the miniscule organisms that are found all around us but are invisible to the naked eye – play a vital role in capturing carbon and affecting the climate. Plus they could also be harnessed to tackle other environmental problems – such as the drastic fall in pollinator populations. Scientists have recently discovered a microbe, a type of cyanobacteria, off the coast of a volcanic island near Sicily that eats carbon dioxide (CO2) "astonishingly quickly". The island of Vulcano is surrounded by underwater hydrothermal vents, which are rich sources of CO2. These vents are located in shallow water, which means they are exposed to sunlight (unlike vents in the deep ocean). All this has created the perfect environment for the evolution of microbes that use CO2 as a food source. Cyanobacteria are a type of bacteria that use photosynthesis to obtain energy, capturing carbon in the process, and the new strain is "one of the fastest growing cyanobacteria… ever reported", says Tierney. He describes cyanobacteria as "nature's little alchemists" as they absorb large amounts of CO2 and can convert it into useful resources, such as fuels or biodegradable plastics.