What if you could engineer a kind of wood that was stronger and more durable, but also could

help soak up carbon from the atmosphere?

We have another way to retain the sort of fix the

CO2 in the wood material. So in this way we can sequenced more carbon over time.

It's Thursday, September 12th and you're listening to Science Friday.

I'm Scifry producer Charles. 12th and you're listening to Science Friday.

I'm Cyfry producer Charles Berquist.

Last year we featured a story about a genetically engineered poplar tree

that could grow twice as fast to store 30% more carbon.

Now, researchers at the University of Maryland

have their own advance in genetically modifying poplar trees.

But they had a different goal.

Instead of growing faster, they aim to make the wood stronger,

so it could be turned into lumber without the need for harsh chemical processing.

This modification also made the wood more durable, allowing the trees to sequester carbon from the

atmosphere. Sophie Bushwick takes you inside that wood project, but first, how

scientists are learning about early days on Earth by looking at 2.5 billion-year-old rocks from the bottom of the sea.

Joining me now is Dr. Elizabeth Cottrell, chair of the Department of Mineral Sciences at the Smithsonian National

Museum of Natural History.

She's also a curator of the National Rock Collection.

Did you know we had one and co-author of this study?

Welcome back to Science Friday.

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