Chlorophyll

• Published in: Nanoscale p. 43
• Main Authors: Deffeyes, Kenneth S, Deffeyes, Stephen E
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: United States The MIT Press 30.09.2011; MIT Press
• Subjects: Agricultural sciences; Agriculture; Agronomy; Algae; Alkaline earth metals; Atomic physics; Atoms; Biochemistry; Biogeography; Biological pigments; Biological sciences; Biology; Biomolecules; Botany; Chemical compounds; Chemical elements; Chemicals; Chemistry; Chlorophylls; Cyanobacteria; Earth sciences; Geography; Geomorphology; Hydrology; Magnesium; Marine botany; Microphysics; Molecular biology; Molecular physics; Molecules; Nanotechnology; Phycology; Physical Sciences; Physics; Rocks; Salts; Saltwater; Sand soils; Sea water; Soil science; Soils; Transition metals; Vanadium; Water
• ISBN: 9780262516716; 0262516713
• DOI: 10.7551/mitpress/8166.003.0018

Blood circulation has been around for “only” 540 million years, but photosynthesis has been active for about 3 billion years. Photosynthesis uses sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to produce high-energy carbohydrates (sugars and starches). The very oldest undeformed rocks show signs of photosynthetic activity. My generation of geologists was taught that there were essentially no signs of life more than 540 million years old. When I was teaching at the University of Minnesota during the 1960s, there were some handsome rock specimens around showing photosynthetic colonies 2 billion years old; that was not supposed to happen. We finally brought in