Friday, June 13th, 2008

Prochlorococcus

Meet Prochlorococcus--it might be the most important microbe you've never heard of. (Credits: Produced by Flora Lichtman and Joe Palca ) See More Videos

Just over twenty years ago, researchers discovered a photosynthetic marine microorganism now known as Prochlorococcus. Though each individual organism is very small, only 0.6 µm, it turns out that Prochlorococcus is one of the most abundant organisms on the planet -- a single milliliter of water can contain 100,000 cells or more. It also has a big effect on the rest of the world, as this one organism is thought to account for as much as half of the photosynthesis in the oceans. In this segment, guest host Joe Palca talks with Penny Chisholm, a biologist at MIT who first reported the discovery of the tiny organism.

Guests

Sallie (Penny) Chisholm
Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies
Civil and Environmental Engineering and Department of Biology
MIT
Cambridge, Massachusetts