2024.10.29 - Newly discovered cyanobacteria could help sequester carbon from oceans and factories

PR title: Newly discovered cyanobacteria could help sequester carbon from oceans and factories Paper title: Cyanobacteria newly isolated from marine volcanic seeps display rapid sinking and robust, high density growth Pub date: 9:00am Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024 Journal: Applied Environmental Microbiology Captions: Marine Cyanobacteria - TAC 23-12-05 Settling.gif: The "Chonkus" strain of cyanobacteria (right) rapidly settles to the bottom of a test tube full of water compared to another common strain (left), forming a dense "green peanut butter" that could make it more useful for sequestering and concentrating carbon for other uses. Credit: Ted Chavkin Marine Cyanobacteria_Figure 1.jpg: Two members of the research team collecting samples of seawater from a shallow volcanic seep off the coast of the island of Vulcano, where volcanic vents ensure the water has a high level of dissolved CO2. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University Marine Cyanobacteria_Figure 3.jpg: The white spots in this microscopy image of the "Chonkus" cyanobacteria appear to be carbon-dense granules that the algae manufactures, which might explain why it grows so large in the presence of carbon and sinks so rapidly. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University Marine Cyanobacteria_Figure 4.png: These graphics show two possible uses for the newly discovered strain: a ready source of carbon-rich biomass for manufacturing valuable commodities, or a method to rapidly send carbon from the shallow ocean down to the depths for carbon sequestration. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University