Posted on 07/26/2007 10:14:22 PM PDT by Rick_Michael
In the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park, a team of researchers has discovered a novel bacterium that transforms light into chemical energy.
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In the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park, a team of researchers has discovered a novel bacterium that transforms light into chemical energy........
Remarkably, the new genus and species Cab. thermophilum also belongs to a new phylum, Acidobacteria. The discovery marks only the third time in the past 100 years that a new bacterial phylum has been added to the list of those with chlorophyll-producing members. Although chlorophyll-producing bacteria are so abundant that they perform half the photosynthesis on Earth, only 5 of the 25 major groups, or phyla, of bacteria previously were known to contain members with this ability......
"Finding a previously unknown, chlorophyll-producing microbe is the discovery of a lifetime for someone who has studied bacterial photosynthesis for as long as I have (35 years)," says Bryant. "I wouldn't have been as excited if I had reached into that mat and pulled out a gold nugget the size of my fist!" He adds, "I am really grateful to Dave Ward for the chance to work with him and his students in the park and to visit Montana frequently. Our collaboration is a great example of how science really becomes exciting when scientists from different disciplines interact."
Wonderful article. Possibly more useful for discovering life on other planets. Photosynthesis is just magical - but it contributes to Global Warming, apparently - so synthetic photosynthesis is like Kryptonite.
Great story.
Let the Martian terraforming begin.
My natural science background is terribly lacking. Besides water (which likely exists there), what are the “heavy lifting” components of a functional atmosphere? CO-2, for certain, but those little green buggers will eat that stuff up.
How about Nitrogen?
Well, Nitrogen makes up most of our atmosphere, but actually what is needed on Mars is more CO2 to warm things up. If we could get it warm enough, the planet would release more CO2, and eventually we could function there...it will still take immense amounts of time to create sufficient oxygen to breath. Warming it up is stage one, so super greenhouse gasses like Methane are needed.
Turning light into gas is nothing; Congress has been transforming darkness into gas for decades.
Great as an abstract exercise.
What’s the gravity threshold that keeps any native gases from just dissipating into space? I would think native Martian volcanism would throw a few ‘organic’ components out - unless, indeed, it is a cold, dead place.
A pity we won’t live to see it.
ping
If lack of magnetic field results in solar wind stripping of atmosphere, why didn’t earth lose its atmosphere every time its magnetic field went through a switch of polarity?
I suspect because it has been a switch rather than a loss.
I would like to know though whether scientists (good, reputable, real "scientific scientists", not government grant global warming goobers) think there will be transient effects on our enviroment when the next big swap happens.
-Yossarian, who models electromagnetic effects on chips. Way different scale from the earth, but the same idea!
Yikes...from that perspective, hypothetically, terraforming towards the end of producing a viable atmosphere is likely impossible, isn't it?
Bump for later.
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