Bacteria: the rulers of the world!
Growing up surrounded by trees, crops, and animals, I developed an unexplainable connection with the silence that nature offers. I was able to sit for hours on a fence in my small village back in Serbia and just observe all the amazing features of this amazing environment. I remember thinking that Earth is the planet of the plants and we, humans, are simply here to maintain this plants-based green world. However, when I started my university career in molecular biology, I learned that the only organisms that you cannot avoid working with are microorganisms, especially bacteria. Soon, I became fascinated with the amazing features of these tiny organisms that are pretty much capable of anything— some can live in any environment. This is how my academic journey began: I connected my love of the green world— the nature that surrounds us— to bacteria, the rulers of the world. As one of my former professors liked to say, “this planet is just one big sandwich, and bacteria are feeding on us! Do not ever think that we have control, they do. They dominate, and they can do things that we cannot imagine!”

In my research, I am working with bacteria known as methanotrophs. These organisms are able to acquire harmful greenhouse gas methane. Methane levels have rised over the last few decades, and this gas is 30 times more toxic than well-known carbon dioxide/CO2. Methane is one of the gases responsible for climate change and global warming. That is why I am interested in working on reducing methane emissions, and methanotrophs can help achieve this goal. Methanotrophs use methane as a food source, and during their active bacterial metabolism they convert harmful waste into many industrially significant compounds. One of these compounds is called polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)— a molecule used in the production of environmentally-friendly, biodegradable plastic. Methanotrophs can also convert methane into compounds that can be used as biofuels, cosmetics, and additives, and there are many more not yet discovered or fully explored possibilities.
This project is beneficial for many reasons. It will help reduce methane emissions. Instead of releasing the gas and harming the planet, we can supply it to the methanotrophs and direct them to make something useful. It will also help to reduce the amount of non-recyclable plastic waste. Methanotrophs are not only rulers, they are also protectors of this world. As microbiologists, we only need to help direct them to their throne.
During this work, my team realized that while we are fighting to save the planet from methane emission and plastic waste, at the same time we are using harmful solvents on a daily basis; to be able to detect how much PHB is in our bacteria, we apply chloroform and sulfuric acid. However, we realized that once again bacteria can help solve this problem and now there are no more harmful solvents, no more toxic evaporations! We are working on eliminating all toxic materials and using only environmentally friendly approaches. To me, it is important to never give up and never stop trusting in bacteria and their ability to help us save the world!
The University of Alberta's inaugural Digital Innovation Showcase features the research of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. View posters and engage the presenters on Twitter May 10-14, 2021 #UAlbertaInnovationShowcase.

Marina Lazic
Marina is a PhD student in the Faculty of Science, Department of Biological Sciences, at the University of Alberta Marina graduated with her BSc degree in Molecular Biology from the University of Novi Sad in Serbia, and obtained her two master degrees in Genetic Plant Breeding and Seed and Molecular Biology form the same university. Her third MSc degree is in molecular biology from the University of Wyoming, where she established her love for microorganisms and genetic engineering. Marina joined the Stein/Sauvageau team in 2019 when she started working on bioconversion of methane to biodegradable plastic. Marina is very dedicated to teaching and active learning and participates in Future Energy System (FES) outreach and engagement activities. She is working on promoting science through the community as a volunteer speaker for Community Market Place and the Brain Waves Executive Team.