View these resources to complete this assignment:

Scientific American Instant Egghead Video: Can Microbes clean Up Our Oily Mess?

http://www.scientificamerican.com/video/can-microbes-clean-up-our-oily-mess2013-12-11/

Interview with Professor Barbara Block on BBC News:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26184116

Tutorials on Genetic Engineering

Making a Recombinant Plasmid
http://plantandsoil.unl.edu/pages/animation.php?a=making_a_recombinant_plasmid.swf&b=1003514583

Bacteria Transformation http://plantandsoil.unl.edu/pages/animation.php?a=Bacteria_Transformation.swf&b=1003514686

Assignment

Prepare a 3-4 page document that outlines your analysis of the effects of the Deepwater Spill on study species in the Gulf of Mexico. In your report include:

Part I - Influence of Crude Oil on Nitrosopumilus maritimus and Nitrosococcus oceani

Which species appeared to be affected by crude oil assays in the Urakawa et al (2012) study? How were they affected in the study?
Based on what you know about the metabolism of the organisms, which species was more likely to have been successful in an environment with abundant hydrocarbons?

Part II - Influence of Crude Oil on Thunnus thynnus (Atlantic Bluefin Tuna)

Provide an overview of the documented effects of crude oil on Thunnus thynnus.
What stage of development is affected and how could this affect the population?
What economic impact would this have on the area?
What is a "highly conserved gene?" What relationship do these results have to the effects of hydrocarbons on humans?

Part III - Recommendations for Remediation

Do you recommend genetically engineering a prokaryote to remediate this spill? In your assessment provide reasons for BOTH why and why not this would be a good approach, and describe which genes would need to be targeted and which species would be better suited to be transformed - Nitrosopumilus maritimus or Nitrosococcus oceani.