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Cyanobacteria

All articles tagged with #cyanobacteria

Paddles, Proteins, and the Dawn of Photosynthesis
science1 month ago

Paddles, Proteins, and the Dawn of Photosynthesis

Researchers study ancient cyanobacteria, especially Gloeobacteria such as Anthocerotibacter panamensis, to glimpse how oxygen-producing photosynthesis evolved. A. panamensis has a paddle-shaped antenna and lacks thylakoids, while its photosystem core remains highly conserved, suggesting core machinery persisted while light-harvesting structures diversified; finding more early-branching species could reveal whether oxygenic photosynthesis arose once or multiple times and which photosystem came first.

via Quanta Magazine|
#cyanobacteria#evolution#gloeobacteria
From poison to breath: how cyanobacteria seeded Earth’s oxygen-rich world
science1 month ago

From poison to breath: how cyanobacteria seeded Earth’s oxygen-rich world

Oxygen, now essential to life, started as a poisonous byproduct released by cyanobacteria about 2.4–2.5 billion years ago, triggering the Great Oxidation Event that poisoned much of the anaerobic biosphere and reshaped Earth’s chemistry. As some microbes adapted to oxygen, they evolved enzymes and aerobic respiration, enabling far more energy production and the rise of larger, more complex life. The modern atmosphere remains a steady-state maintained by ongoing photosynthesis, with cyanobacteria still producing oxygen today.

via Space Daily|
#aerobic-respiration#anaerobic#cyanobacteria
Oxygen’s toxic rise: the Great Oxidation Event and Earth’s first mass extinction
science1 month ago

Oxygen’s toxic rise: the Great Oxidation Event and Earth’s first mass extinction

Around 2.4 billion years ago, cyanobacteria started releasing oxygen through photosynthesis, and as sinks filled, oxygen accumulated in the oceans and air. That oxygen was poisonous to the dominant anaerobic life, sparking Earth’s first major mass extinction—the Great Oxidation Event. Evidence includes sulfur isotope patterns that indicate an oxygen-free atmosphere before 2.4 Ga and their disappearance after, and the widespread formation of banded iron formations as iron was oxidized. Oxygen’s rise also collapsed methane, possibly helping trigger the long Huronian glaciation. The fossil record is sparse and the transition was uneven and gradual, not a single moment, but it marks a pivotal shift as life adapted to breathe oxygen.

via Space Daily|
#banded-iron-formations#cyanobacteria#great-oxidation-event
The Great Oxidation Event: Oxygen’s Rise Reshaped Life and Climate
science1 month ago

The Great Oxidation Event: Oxygen’s Rise Reshaped Life and Climate

Around 2.4 billion years ago, free oxygen began accumulating in Earth’s atmosphere during the Great Oxidation Event, driven by cyanobacteria; its rise triggered a mass extinction of anaerobic life, altered climate by ending methane greenhouse warming, and enabled aerobic metabolism, paving the way for complex life and eukaryotes—though oxygenation progressed slowly due to ocean chemistry and sinks, with later oxygenation events raising levels toward modern times.

via Space Daily|
#aerobic-respiration#archean#cyanobacteria
Lab-grown cyanobacteria forge fertile soil from desert sand in under a year
environment2 months ago

Lab-grown cyanobacteria forge fertile soil from desert sand in under a year

Researchers in China use lab-grown cyanobacteria to form a biomass-rich crust on loose desert sand, binding grains together to create a thin, stable soil layer that reduces wind erosion, helps retain moisture, and concentrates nutrients to support seedling growth. Trials near the Taklamakan Desert show crusts stabilizing sand in about 10–16 months, potentially accelerating restoration from decades to years, though scaling faces challenges like protecting the crust from traffic and climate variability. The work, published in Soil Biology and Biochemistry and Geoderma, links desert control with longer-term plant-based restoration, but isn’t a stand-alone fix for desertification.

via Earth.com|
#cyanobacteria#desertification#ecological-restoration
Martian dust to dinner: microbes unlock soil-free farming on Mars
science3 months ago

Martian dust to dinner: microbes unlock soil-free farming on Mars

Researchers showed that one gram of dried cyanobacteria grown on Martian-like dust and CO2 can produce enough nutrients to grow about 27 grams of fresh duckweed, via anaerobic fermentation that also yields methane as a potential fuel, signaling a path to closed-loop, self-sustaining farming for Mars—though experiments have been conducted under Earth-like conditions.

via Interesting Engineering|
#cyanobacteria#fertilizer#in-situ-resource-utilization
Desert Sand to Fertile Soil in Months: Lab-Grown Microbes Build a Stable Crust
environment4 months ago

Desert Sand to Fertile Soil in Months: Lab-Grown Microbes Build a Stable Crust

Scientists in China used lab-grown cyanobacteria to bind loose desert sand into a thin, stable crust within about 10–16 months, creating a surface that holds moisture and nutrients and supports seedling growth. This speeds desert restoration from decades to years and could reduce wind-driven erosion, but scaling the method beyond test plots faces challenges such as site selection, local microbe suitability, and protection from traffic; long-term monitoring is needed and crusts cannot solve problems like overgrazing or water mismanagement.

via Earth.com|
#cyanobacteria#desert-restoration#desertification
Bio-Printed, Self-Healing Building Material That Grows and Captures Carbon
science4 months ago

Bio-Printed, Self-Healing Building Material That Grows and Captures Carbon

Scientists have created a 3D-printed hydrogel embedded with cyanobacteria that can grow, sequester CO2, and precipitate calcium carbonate to potentially reinforce structures. Lab data over 400 days show cumulative CO2 capture of 26 ± 7 mg per gram of hydrogel (with 2.2 ± 0.9 mg/g in the first 30 days); the material remains viable under light and nutrient conditions and can be printed for architectural scale. An installation at the Venice Biennale demonstrates the concept in practice, but the researchers caution that at current scales the climate impact is uncertain and long-term (decades) performance remains to be proven, with the material’s efficiency limited by light access and maintenance needs.

via The Daily Galaxy|
#3d-printing#carbon-sequestration#cyanobacteria
Ancient cave microbes in New Mexico thrive on unseen light
science4 months ago

Ancient cave microbes in New Mexico thrive on unseen light

Microbes in Carlsbad Caverns toes the line between geology and biology, as cyanobacteria living on cave walls photosynthesize using near-infrared light that human eyes can’t see; the reflected light concentrates far from entrances, suggesting life could persist in ultra-dark, light-limited environments and offering clues for detecting life on other worlds, potentially guiding NASA’s future research with the James Webb Space Telescope.

via Yahoo|
#astrobiology#carlsbad-caverns#cyanobacteria
Cave cyanobacteria harness near-infrared light, expanding the search for life in the cosmos
science5 months ago

Cave cyanobacteria harness near-infrared light, expanding the search for life in the cosmos

Scientists exploring Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico found cyanobacteria on cave walls that can photosynthesize using near-infrared light thanks to chlorophyll d and f, enabling energy capture in darkness and in cave zones possibly untouched for about 49 million years. This widens the known range of photosynthesis, implying red-dwarf–type stars could host life and helping to refine the search for habitable exoplanets with JWST by focusing on longer wavelengths and lower light levels where oxygen could signal life.

via BBC|
#astrobiology#caves#cyanobacteria
Winter Green Ice: Cyanobacteria Signal Climate Shifts at Lake Lipno
environment5 months ago

Winter Green Ice: Cyanobacteria Signal Climate Shifts at Lake Lipno

Green patches on Lake Lipno’s ice were caused by winter cyanobacteria blooms, an unusual sign of nutrient pollution and a warming climate. Researchers documented cyanobacterial eyes and explained the blooms persisted into December before dissipating after heavy snowfall, warning that such green ice could become more common as eutrophication and climate change reshape ecosystems.

via Gizmodo|
#climate-change#cyanobacteria#environment
Earth's Hidden Chemistry Unlocks Breath of Life
science8 months ago

Earth's Hidden Chemistry Unlocks Breath of Life

New research suggests that the delayed rise of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere was controlled by the levels of nickel and urea, which initially limited cyanobacterial growth. As these compounds declined, cyanobacteria proliferated, releasing oxygen and triggering the Great Oxidation Event, a key step in making Earth habitable and providing insights for life beyond Earth.

via SciTechDaily|
#cyanobacteria#earths-oxygen#great-oxidation-event