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Viruses Keep Us Breathing
Moffett Field CA (SPX) Apr 07, 2008 Some of the oxygen we breathe today is being produced because of viruses infecting micro-organisms in the world's oceans, scientists heard Wednesday 2 April 2008 at the Society for General Microbiology's 162nd meeting held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. About half the world's oxygen is being produced by tiny photosynthesizing creatures called phytoplankton in the major oceans. These organisms are also responsible for removing carbon dioxide from our atmosphere and locking it away in their bodies, which sink to the bottom of the ocean when they die, removing it forever and limiting global warming. "In major parts of the oceans, the micro-organisms responsible for providing oxygen and locking away carbon dioxide are actually single celled bacteria called cyanobacteria," says Professor Nicholas Mann of the University of Warwick. "These organisms, which are so important for making our planet inhabitable, are attacked and infected by a range of different types of viruses." The researchers have identified the genetic codes of these viruses using molecular techniques and discovered that some of them are responsible for providing the genetic material that codes for key components of photosynthesis machinery. "It is beginning to become to clear to us that at least a proportion of the oxygen we breathe is a by-product of the bacteria suffering from a virus infection," says Professor Mann. "Instead of being viewed solely as evolutionary bad guys, causing diseases, viruses appear to be of central importance in the planetary process. In fact they may be essential to our survival." Viruses may also help to spread useful genes for photosynthesis from one strain of bacteria to another. The study provides new insight into the role that viruses play in both the processes of evolution, and in making our planet a habitable environment for living organisms. The findings will help scientists understand the links between the climate of Earth and the evolution of life. This will also yield information about how changes in Earth's climate will affect the future of life as we know it. Related Links The Air We Breathe at TerraDaily.com
Carnegie Mellon Researchers To Curb CO2 Emissions
Pittsburgh PA (SPX) Apr 04, 2008Carnegie Mellon University's Chris T. Hendrickson and H. Scott Matthews along with Alex Carpenter and Heather MacLean of the University of Toronto challenge Canadian officials to take the lead in eliminating dangerous carbon dioxide emissions that fuel global warming. |
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