Mark writes:
Hi, folks.
I was listening to your latest TWiM. How utterly wonderful that you spotlit Irene and her team’s wonderful work! She actually talked about this work with some of my first year students last year.
A LOT of folks are searching for antifungals in unusual places these days. In fact a rare publication on which I was coauthor is attached (just was published).
But more importantly, I adored the cyanobacteria story that Elio described. But there is indeed evidence of photosynthesis far, far below the photic zone. Far red light is generated when very hot water mixes with cold…and some green sulfur bacteria take advantage of it:
https://www.asu.edu/feature/includes/summer05/readmore/photosyn.html
True, they aren’t cyanobacteria that linked both photosystems and only have one…but microbes continue to rule.
The idea that light is generated at hydrothermal vents still fascinates me.
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2002GL014977
I hope you are all well.
-Mark m
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Mark O. Martin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Biology
University of Puget Sound