Chemistry
A New Way to Make Hydrocarbons
Marine scientists used isotopic fingerprinting techniques to discover a new way that the hydrocarbons in oil and gas are formed.
Tag: isotopes
Microbiology
First Report of Biologically Produced Elemental Carbon
Deep-sea microorganisms have been found to produce elemental carbon, although the biological reason remains unknown.
Microbiology
Living Fossils Hidden in Plain Sight
Around 2.4 billion years ago, the emergence of cyanobacteria multiplied oxygen concentrations in our atmosphere by almost a million, and…
Pollution
Human mercury pollution found at the deepest ocean
For many decades, humans have been putting mercury into the ocean, contaminating big fish like tuna and swordfish. But we…
Climate Change
Fossilized Deep-Sea Corals Reveal Ancient Ocean Circulation Patterns
An increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations helped end the last ice age. But what caused the carbon dioxide increase…
Microbiology
Life at One Hundred Million Years Old
A team of scientists traveled to the South Pacific Gyre and discovered 100 million year old, energy-starved microorganisms hidden below…
Natural History
Uneven Ocean Warming as the Planet Shed its Ice
Our oceans underwent major changes when the planet transitioned from the Last Glacial Maximum to our current interglacial (or “between…
Biogeochemistry
The Subtle Response of Plants to Rising CO2 Levels
Plants need carbon dioxide. What do they do when there’s more and more of it in the atmosphere?
Human impacts
New Nitrogen in Town: Nitrogen Deposition on the Open Ocean
Life in the ocean depends on a variety of nutrients, an important one being nitrogen. Phytoplankton, at the bottom of…
Climate Change
A New Tool for Understanding Where Carbon Dioxide Goes
We know that CO2 is being absorbed from the air by the ocean, but how can we measure how much…
Biogeochemistry
Dust detectives: tracing the origins of Antarctic ice core debris
Tiny dust particles punch above their weight by delivering nutrients to remote ecosystems. A new study uses the chemical fingerprint…