A Desert Question
To our reader reading this right now, we pose a question to you: How hot does it usually get on an average summer day in your country? Did you know that in Kuwait temperatures fluctuate around 50 degrees celsius on average on a summer day? That is crazy high! This is not typical though, as our average temperature used to be less just a few years ago. Why is this change occurring? You can thank climate change for that.
Our Story Begins
Because of the rapidly increasing temperatures in Kuwait, alongside the already arid environment and sandy soil, the growth of plants is being increasingly challenged. Water evaporates almost as quickly as it’s poured, leaving behind dry, cracked ground and jeopardizing plant growth across agriculture, green spaces, and nature itself.
This problem is not just a matter of lost water, it’s a matter of sustainability in the face of climate change. Just as synthetic biology has opened the door to rewriting DNA sequences, we believe it can also be harnessed to rewrite how soil interacts with its environment.
That’s where our project comes in: EPS. We’re engineering E. coli (not the kind that makes you sick, but a safe laboratory strain) to become tiny water-saving helpers. By giving them plasmids that let them produce extracellular polysaccharides (EPS), we can transform these microbes into “soil sponges.” EPS acts like a natural hydrogel, trapping water molecules and slowing down evaporation.
By combining synthetic biology with one of Kuwait’s biggest challenges, we aim to demonstrate a future where engineered microbes help farmers grow crops with less water, where beautiful gardens thrive longer, and where nature gets a small but powerful helping hand. Think of it as giving the desert just a little extra help in holding onto every precious drop.