Editor’s note: As our ability to study the characteristics of exoplanets that might be habitable increases, the need for metrics whereby various life forms can be discovered i.e. biosignatures – […]
Phytoplankton
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Ancestors Of Prochlorococcus Microbes Rode Out To Sea On Exoskeleton Particles
Throughout the ocean, billions upon billions of plant-like microbes make up an invisible floating forest. As they drift, the tiny organisms use sunlight to suck up carbon dioxide from the […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Implications For Icy Worlds: Phytoplankton May Be Abundant Under Antarctic Sea Ice
A decade ago, scientists on a NASA-sponsored ocean expedition found massive populations of phytoplankton blooming beneath sea ice in the Arctic Ocean.
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Press Release
When Viruses Infect Phytoplankton It Can Change The Clouds
Microscopic plant-like organisms called phytoplankton are known to support the diversity of life in the ocean. Scientists in Israel now report that one species, Emiliania huxleyi, and a virus closely […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Impact events, Press Release
Tiny Shelled Creatures Shed Light On Extinction And Recovery 65 Million Years Ago
An asteroid strike may not only account for the demise of ocean and land life 65 million years ago, but the fireball’s path and the resulting dust, darkness and toxic […]