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The oxygen-rich surface waters of the world's major oceans are supersaturated with methane - a powerful greenhouse gas that is roughly 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide - yet little is known about the source of this methane. Now a new study by researchers at Oregon State University demonstrates the ability of some strains of the oceans' most abundant organism - SAR11 - to generate methane as a byproduct of breaking down a compound for its phosphorus. [Source: Oregon State University]
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