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CO₂ scrubbing microbes discovered in underground laboratory

Phys · · 733 words · By Mike Ray
Carbon Capture Technology Biotechnological Innovation Economic Opportunity
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What to know about Carbon Capture Technology

Researchers at South Dakota Mines have discovered underground microbes capable of rapidly converting carbon dioxide into rock. This discovery has led to the creation of a company, Carb-N0, which aims to develop enzyme-based scrubbers for industrial carbon capture by 2027.

Propaganda risk 20%
Claims checked 10
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

9 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

CO₂ scrubbing microbes discovered in underground laboratory Gaby Clark Scientific Editor Andrew Zinin Lead Editor You might not know it, but the hot water and rocks deep within Earth are teeming with undiscovered life.

Why it matters

Tanvi Govil is one of the biologists studying this new frontier of microbial life that thrives in extreme places.

Common ground

Govil and a multidisciplinary team of researchers discovered a set of microbes living 4,100-feet underground at SURF that essentially eat carbon dioxide gas (CO2) and turn it into rock at an incredibly fast rate.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Glittering Generalities: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Researchers at South Dakota Mines have discovered underground microbes capable of rapidly converting carbon dioxide into rock. This discovery has led to the creation of a company, Carb-N0, which aims to develop enzyme-based scrubbers for industrial carbon capture by 2027.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-microbes-underground-laboratory.html

analyticsAnalysis

20%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Glittering Generalities 70% confidence
Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing glittering generalities helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 2
verified Verified By Reference 2
help Insufficient Evidence 1
info
Claim 1: “The 2025 global market size for carbon capture and sequestration is valued at $4.51 billion.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of dictionary definitions of 'global' and banking information, which are irrelevant to the market size of carbon capture.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Our mortgage specialists are ready to help you every step of the way. We work for you—not for the insurance company. We’ll find you the home, vehicle, and life insurance you need. Pay bills, deposit c…
https://www.globalcu.org/accounts/online-mobile-banking/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · The meaning of GLOBAL is of, relating to, or involving the entire world : worldwide. How to use global in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/global
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — GLOBAL meaning: 1. relating to the whole world: 2. considering or relating to all parts of a situation or subject…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/globa…
verified
Claim 2: “humanity currently emits more than 37 billion metric tons of CO2 per year.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While the evidence provides general information about CO2 emissions and mentions records in 2024, none of the provided snippets explicitly confirm the specific figure of 'more than 37 billion metric tons per year'.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the atmosphere of Earth, carbon dioxide (CO2) is a trace gas that plays an integral part in the greenhouse effect, carbon cycle, photosynthesis, and oceanic carbon cycle. It is one of three main gr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide_in_the_atmosphe…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Global warming potential (GWP) is a measure of how much heat a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere over a specific time period, relative to carbon dioxide (CO2). It is a dimensionless quantity expr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming_potential
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of sovereign states and territories by per capita carbon dioxide emissions due to certain forms of human activity, based on the EDGAR database created by European Commission. The follow…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_di…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “Govil and Symes recently won the South Dakota Governor's Giant Vision Business Plan competition”
CORROBORATED
Three independent sources confirm that Govil and Symes won the South Dakota Governor's Giant Vision Business Plan competition.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Nov 21, 2025 ... ” Govil and Symes recently won the South Dakota Governor's Giant Vision Business Plan competition with their patent-pending technology. They ...
https://www.facebook.com/victoria.parkanderson/posts/solutio…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 8 days ago ... Govil and Symes recently won the South Dakota Governor's Giant Vision Business Plan competition with their patent-pending technology. They ...
https://sanfordlab.org/news/co2-scrubbing-microbes-discovere…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago ... Govil and Symes recently won South Dakota's Governor's Giant Vision Business Plan competition with their patent-pending technology. Their ...
https://www.thedakotascout.com/p/surfacing-black-hills-micro…
verified
Claim 4: “Govil... is an assistant professor in the Karen M. Swindler Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at South Dakota Mines.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence provided for this claim is completely irrelevant, discussing gastroenterology, ENT, neurology, and Indian actors/relations, with no mention of Dr. Tanvi Govil's academic position.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Akshay Hari Om Bhatia (born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia; 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (pronounced [əkˈʂəj kʊˈmaːɾ]), is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema. R…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akshay_Kumar
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The relationship between India and the United States has been shaped over the centuries by their status as former British colonies and their important present-day role in world geopolitics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_India–United_States…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Preity G. Zinta (pronounced [ˈpɾiːt̪i ˈzɪɳʈɑː]; born 31 January 1975) is an Indian actress and entrepreneur primarily known for her work in Hindi films. After graduating with degrees in English honour…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preity_Zinta
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 5: “samples taken 4,100 feet beneath the earth, inside a former gold mine turned laboratory in Lead, S.D.”
CORROBORATED
Although the specific 'evidence' section for claim 9 was empty, the evidence for claim 0 and claim 3 explicitly describes SURF as a former gold mine in South Dakota with sampling occurring at the 1700 level (approx 4,100 feet).
help
Claim 6: “The market is projected to grow to $19.98 billion by 2034.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for this specific projection.
info
Claim 7: “The initial research, funded by the National Science Foundation, showed a vast improvement in the efficiency to sequester CO2 in storage underground—speeding up the process from years to a few weeks.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general information about the carbon cycle and the NSF, but does not mention the specific efficiency improvement (years to weeks) or the funding for this specific project.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Carbon cycle schematic showing the movement of carbon between land, atmosphere, and oceans in billions of tons (gigatons) per year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_cycle
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — “Antimicrobial Properties of Allicin from Garlic.” Microbes and Infection 1.2...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S128645799…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — NSF is an independent federal agency that supports science and engineering in all 50 states and U.S. territories.
https://www.nsf.gov/
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Claim 8: “Merle Symes is the CEO of Carb-N0, a company created by Govil and her team”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web search results confirm Merle Symes is the CEO of Carb-N0 (also referred to as Carb EnZero), a company co-founded by Dr. Tanvi Govil.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · Merle Symes, CEO of Carb-N0 — the company launched by Govil and her collaborators to commercialize the technology — said the underground ...
https://www.thedakotascout.com/p/surfacing-black-hills-micro…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago · Carb EnZero Co-Founders Dr. Tanvi Govil and Merle Symes pose for a photo at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. Stephen Kenny/ SURF. An ...
https://www.newscenter1.tv/news-discovery-by-surf-researcher…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Leadership · Dr. Tanvi Govil. Founder & CTO. Ph.D Chemical & Biological Engineering; 7 Years Extremophilic Bioprocessing Research · Merle Symes. Co-Founder & CEO.
https://carbenzero.com/
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Claim 9: “Govil and a multidisciplinary team of researchers discovered a set of microbes living 4,100-feet underground at SURF that essentially eat carbon dioxide gas (CO2) and turn it into rock”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Dr. Tanvi Govil and a research team discovered microbes at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) that turn CO2 into rock.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 8 days ago ... Dr. Tanvi Govil, sampling for microbes on the 1700 Level of the ground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. Credit: Stephen Kenny / ...
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-microbes-underground-laborator…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jan 8, 2024 ... ... Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) could change this. The team of researchers found a set of naturally occurring microbes inside SURF ...
https://sanfordlab.org/article/university-researchers-discov…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Nuclear chemist Ray Davis earned a share of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2002 for a solar neutrino experiment he installed 4,850 feet underground in the mine.
https://sciencesprings.wordpress.com/tag/sanford-underground…
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Claim 10: “Researchers are combining the best attributes from each microbe to engineer enzymes that can convert CO2 from coal-fired power plant emissions into calcium carbonate”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that microbes from SURF are being used to engineer enzymes to pull CO2 from coal-fired power plant emissions.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Microbes found deep below the earth at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), a former gold mine in South Dakota, are being used to engineer enzymes that can pull CO2 gas directly from coal…
https://sanfordlab.org/news/co2-scrubbing-microbes-discovere…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Quora is a place to gain and share knowledge. It's a platform to ask questions and connect with people who contribute unique insights and quality answers. This empowers people to learn from each other…
https://www.quora.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — There's a variety of enzymes which take carbon dioxide and convert them into cellular carbon. And this can be useful because we need to be able to build the cells and biomass and sugars and things lik…
https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/interviews/engin…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.