New cyanobacteria species spotlights early life

(Boyce Thompson Institute) Cyanobacteria first evolved to perform photosynthesis about 2.4 billion years ago, pumping tons of oxygen into the atmosphere - a period known as the Great Oxygenation Event - which enabled the evolution of multicellular life forms. Led by BTI faculty member Fay-Wei Li, researchers have discovered a new species of cyanobacteria, Anthocerotibacter panamensis, which could help illuminate how photosynthesis evolved to create the world as we know it.

Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - May 14, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news