GREAT BALLS OF [GEOTHERMAL] FIRE

Balls of DNA Could Fix Geothermal Energy’s Biggest Problem

Shara Tonn, September 22, 2015 (Wired)

“Geothermal power has the potential to be cheap, reliable, and abundant—running off the heat of the Earth 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That’s especially true…[T]iny fragments of DNA dropped into the wells could soon help engineers follow the path of water underground [and therefore build plants almost anywhere] …[F]or a drilled geothermal plant to produce a maximum amount of energy, engineers have to place its multiple production wells very carefully, making sure that each new well has the best chance of delivering…[steamy hot water by] tracking the flow of water underground…Building on work by scientists trying to preserve long DNA codes, [a] geothermal team used short, synthetic DNA fragments [curled around a tiny silica ball] to track moving water…So far, the DNA silica balls have survived six hours in 300 degrees in the lab…[Field testing] will be the next step…[K]nowing the locations of the biggest fractures and best wells will allow [geothermal to go anywhere]…” click here for more

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