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1.78-billion-year-old microfossils reveal sunlight-harnessing structures that give off oxygen
Cyanobacteria, like these ocean-dwelling <em>Prochlorococcus</em>, invented photosynthesis billions of years ago. Now, scientists have fossil evidence of the structures needed to turn sunlight into chemical energy in some ancient cyanobacteria.</p>
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Cyanobacteria, like these ocean-dwelling Prochlorococcus, invented photosynthesis billions of years ago. Now, scientists have fossil evidence of the structures needed to turn sunlight into chemical energy in some ancient cyanobacteria.
Luke Thompson/Chisholm Lab, Nikki Watson/Whitehead/MIT
Ancient tiny fossils from Australia may carry evidence of great power: the ability to make oxygen through photosynthesis.