WHY IT MATTERS: Jonathan Zehr, a marine scientist at the University of California in Santa Cruz, says the discovery of an unusual microorganism in the open ocean may force scientists to rethink their understanding of how carbon and nitrogen cycle through ocean ecosystems.
After a long search researchers think they have found a cryptic microbe that helps fertilize ocean waters worldwide. Or at least they have found the single-celled critter's very telling and surprising genome.
Hints of the mysterious organism have been popping up all over the world in DNA analysis of sea water. But the actual microbe — a type of bacteria known as cyanobacteria — has so far eluded direct observation, because it can not be cultured in a laboratory.
Source:
Science Journal
