Trillions have died in the Earth’s seas. Calcified shields of the dead already make up the white cliffs of Dover. The battle between ball-shaped light-colored single-celled plants — phytoplankton called coccolithophores — and even smaller, diamond-shaped viruses dubbed coccolithoviruses — has raged for tens of millions of years. To help fight this battle, the coccolithophores create their chalky armor by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This battle is so epic that coccolithophores actually remove a significant fraction of Earth’s atmospheric carbon dioxide, bolstering the breathability of air for animals including humans. Pictured in this 2012 image from NASA’s Aqua satellite, the Black Sea was turned light blue by coccolithophore blooms.
Today's News
- Anti-AI: Disruption Has Officially Disrupted Disruption
- Saturn’s Rings Play Crucial Role In Heating Its Atmosphere
- Experts call for a Pause on AI Development
- Mystery Solved: Comet ‘Oumuamua’s Odd Trajectory Explained
- Cordyceps Zombie Fungus In The Last of Us: Is It Real?
- Dark Energy Could Cause Universe To Multiply Like Gremlins
- NASA’s Webb Telescope Discovers Massive Galaxies from Early Universe
- AI Chatbots Pose a Growing Threat of Disinformation
- Google Tracks You Even If You’re Not Signed In
- Best Way To Solve Global Warming? Methane-Eating Bacteria
Follow @CosmosoNet on Twitter