All articles tagged with #cyanobacteria
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.
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.
Scientists exploring the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico discovered a bright green wall hosting cyanobacteria that photosynthesize with near-infrared light in complete darkness, showing life can thrive without visible light and offering new insights for detecting life on distant worlds and guiding astrobiology research.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Scientists have identified the cyanobacterium Dolichospermum as the source of saxitoxin in Lake Erie, linking its presence to warming temperatures and highlighting concerns about increasing harmful algal blooms due to climate change.
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.
A cyanobacterium called Chroococcidiopsis, capable of surviving extreme space and Earth conditions, including radiation, freezing temperatures, and Martian soil, could be a valuable tool for future space exploration and colonization efforts, especially for producing oxygen and studying extraterrestrial life.
Earth's gradual slowing of its rotation, caused by the Moon's gravitational pull, may have influenced the timing and pattern of Earth's oxygenation, particularly through its effect on microbial oxygen production during events like the Great Oxidation Event, by affecting the duration of daylight and microbial activity.
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a living, photosynthetic building material embedded with cyanobacteria that can absorb and convert CO2 into stable mineral forms, potentially transforming buildings into carbon sinks and offering a sustainable solution to climate change.
Scientists in Switzerland have developed a photosynthetic, living material containing blue-green algae that can absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and convert it into stable mineral forms, potentially serving as a sustainable building material to combat climate change.
Scientists in Switzerland have developed a 3D-printed, photosynthetic 'living' material containing blue-green algae that can convert CO2 into oxygen, sugars, and solid minerals like limestone, potentially serving as a sustainable building material that helps fight climate change by sequestering carbon directly from the atmosphere.
NASA's EMIT sensor on the International Space Station has detected signs of wastewater contamination off the California coast by identifying a pigment associated with cyanobacteria, demonstrating its potential to complement traditional water sampling methods and fill data gaps in pollution monitoring.