Step aside, regular ocean-dwelling creatures that produce oxygen. There’s a new powerful mutant on the scene – Chonkus.
Discovered in the sunlit waters near Italy’s Vulcano Island, where volcanic gas-rich groundwater mixes with the sea, Chonkus is a unique strain of Synechococcus elongatus bacteria. This mutant variant has larger cells and colonies than its counterparts, storing more carbon in white granules within its cells. It sinks rapidly to the ocean floor, potentially making it an efficient carbon sequestration agent.
Researchers believe that Chonkus could play a crucial role in absorbing excess carbon from the atmosphere due to its unique characteristics compared to other cyanobacteria species.
2024-11-07 15:00:00
Read more at www.sciencenews.org