323 | Harnessing the Power of the Great Old Ones

A real single celled organism with attitude.

00:00:00 - This episode Ben and Ryan are joined by Ph.D. student and podcaster Kathryn Cogert (@KathrynIsabel), who specializes in mimicking the microbial nitrogen cycling as seen in Oxygen Minimum Zones of the ocean with the aim of improving wastewater treatment. We begin with the basics of why nitrogen pollution is an issue and how nitrogen is currently removed in wastewater treatment and why it’s sort of a hot mess.

00:21:42 - Nothing like talking about wastewater to build up a thirst. Ben, self-described sleepy fella, sneaks in an ad for cherry-wild cherry tea from Canada’s own teadesire.com. Kathryn feels judged but still enjoys her hometown’s own Olympia Beer. Ryan enjoys some cold-brew made from Perky Perky birthday coffee beans sent by his sister.

00:34:11 - In part two of our chat with Kathryn, she walks us through all the improvements she’s helping to make to the nitrogen removal process using their weird critters called Annamox and Ammonium Oxidizing Archaea. Saving money, saving energy, cleaning up water. Win-win-win.

00:56:16 - PaleoPOWs are a bit like Archeae, we don’t know where they came from but they sure are odd. Ryan begins by thanking Joshua C. for promoting us on the Wild Green Memes Facebook Group. Kathryn reads aloud an e-mail from real deal nuclear engineer Gerrit B. about our discussion of water as radioactive shielding in spaceships in episode 319. And patron Will Q. has earned his BSso degree by completing a thesis titled:: Canid we find some new methanogens? Novel discovery of a methane-producing archaea in the GI tract of a Canis lupus familiaris: barking up the right tree. Thanks, Will! And of course, we have to mention that Kathryn is the co-host of the wonderful podcast Encyclopedia Brunch featuring our own Tim Dobbs.

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Music credit: Chainlink Melody by Podington Bear

Audio editing by Rob Heath Studios

Photo by Nicolasintravel on Unsplash