Scientists observe the step-by-step process by which a fungus attacks a mineral to extract vital nutrients.
bacteria & microbes
Posted inNews
More Acidic Oceans Could Reduce Fertility for Algae Eaters
New research shows that increased levels of carbon dioxide in the oceans cause changes that alter key nutrients essential to the reproduction of animals low on the food web.
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Dirty Water: Unintended Consequence of Climate Resiliency
Scientists testing the quality of floodwater in a Florida city find potentially harmful bacteria.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Deep-Sea Microbes Can Leave Records of the Past
Researchers use carbon signatures within sea sediments to identify microbial activity and also to date earthquakes.
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Iron Fertilization Might Not Make Oceans Better Carbon Sinks
New research suggests more iron during the last ice age did not mean more algae production in the equatorial Pacific, pointing to possible futility of a controversial geoengineering idea.
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Microbes Make a Quick Meal of Methane in a Submarine Canyon
Scientists track the fate of methane released by hydrates in a major canyon off the U.S. East Coast.
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Giant Balls of Bacteria Pile Up on Arctic Lake Beds, Ooze Toxin
Researchers have found cyanobacteria colonies as big as softballs thriving unexpectedly on shallow Greenland lake bottoms, exuding liver-damaging microcystin. Locals dubbed them "sea tomatoes."
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Plankton Reveal New Secrets About Ancient CO2 Levels
An analysis of phytoplankton shells doubles previous estimates of the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere 11 million years ago.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Rising Temperatures Release Methane Locked in the Seabed
New research shows that when ice in the seafloor melts, single-cell organisms metabolize the methane released, preventing the greenhouse gas from reaching the atmosphere.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Drought Changes How Peat Bogs Cycle Mercury and Sulfur
Drought conditions dictate whether atmospherically deposited sulfate stays locked in a peatland or is mobilized to stimulate the bacterial methylation of mercury.