Bacteria in the world's oceans produce millions of tonnes of hydrocarbons each year
Monday, October 5, 2015 - 14:30
in Biology & Nature
An international team of researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, has estimated the amount of hydrocarbons - the primary ingredient in crude oil - that are produced by a massive population of photosynthetic marine microbes, called cyanobacteria. These organisms in turn support another population of bacteria that 'feed' on these compounds.