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Two new studies by researchers show that Synechococcus, a type of cyanobacteria (formerly called blue-green algae) that
dominates much of the world's oceans, has evolved a mechanism that short-circuits photosynthetic carbon-dioxide fixation
while still producing energy. The discovery has implications not only for scientists' basic understanding of photosynthesis-
arguably the most important biological process on Earth-but also for the amount of carbon dioxide that phytoplankton pull
from the atmosphere. Until now, it was thought that all the photosynthetic algae and bacteria living in the ocean drew carbon
dioxide out of the air and used it to build sugars and other carbon-rich molecules to use as fuel. [Source: Stanford News Service]
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