Related topics: climate change , biofuel , photosynthesis
Algae
hideAlgae (pronounced /ˈældʒiː/; singular alga /ˈælɡə/, Latin for "seaweed") are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms. The largest and most complex marine forms are called seaweeds. They are photosynthetic, like plants, and "simple" because they lack the many distinct organs found in land plants. For that reason they are currently excluded from being considered plants.
Though the prokaryotic Cyanobacteria (commonly referred to as Blue-green Algae) were traditionally included as "Algae" in older textbooks, many modern sources regard this as outdated and restrict the term Algae to eukaryotic organisms. All true algae therefore have a nucleus enclosed within a membrane and chloroplasts bound in one or more membranes. Algae constitute a paraphyletic and polyphyletic group, as they do not include all the descendants of the last universal ancestor nor do they all descend from a common algal ancestor, although their chloroplasts seem to have a single origin.
Algae lack the various structures that characterize land plants, such as phyllids and rhizoids in nonvascular plants, or leaves, roots, and other organs that are found in tracheophytes. Many are photoautotrophic, although some groups contain members that are mixotrophic, deriving energy both from photosynthesis and uptake of organic carbon either by osmotrophy, myzotrophy, or phagotrophy. Some unicellular species rely entirely on external energy sources and have limited or no photosynthetic apparatus.
Nearly all algae have photosynthetic machinery ultimately derived from the Cyanobacteria, and so produce oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis, unlike other photosynthetic bacteria such as purple and green sulfur bacteria. Fossilized filamentous algae from the Vindhya basin have been dating back to 1.6 to 1.7 billion years ago.
The first alga to have its genome sequenced was Cyanidioschyzon merolae.
For more information about Algae, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with algae
Understanding Algae As An Alternative Fuel Source: Will The Real Algae X Please Stand Up
Biology /
Sep 07, 2008 |
4.2 / 5 (59) |
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The recent creation of AXI, LLC is an alliance between Allied Minds, Inc. a seed investment company and the University of Washington. The alliance came about because of Professor Rose Ann Cattolico PhD, an ...
Algae: Biofuel of the future?
Biology /
Aug 19, 2008 |
4.4 / 5 (53) |
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University of Virginia researchers have a plan to greatly increase algae oil yields by feeding the algae extra carbon dioxide (the main greenhouse gas) and organic material like sewage, meaning the algae could simultaneously ...
Last time carbon dioxide levels were this high: 15 million years ago, scientists report
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 08, 2009 |
3.6 / 5 (63) |
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You would have to go back at least 15 million years to find carbon dioxide levels on Earth as high as they are today, a UCLA scientist and colleagues report Oct. 8 in the online edition of the journal Science.
Researcher converts biodiesel-waste glycerol into omega-3 fatty acids
Aug 21, 2008 |
4.2 / 5 (30) |
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The typical American diet often lacks omega-3 fatty acids despite clinical research that shows their potential human health benefits. Zhiyou Wen, assistant professor of biological systems engineering in Virginia Tech's College ...
Algae jet fuel makes splash at international air show
Aug 11, 2008 |
4.6 / 5 (25) |
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Researchers Qiang Hu and Milton Sommerfeld from ASU’s Department of Applied Biosciences recently flew to London to share their findings and research on the application of algae-based oils for creating biofuels ...
Engineering algae to make fuel instead of sugar
Biology /
Dec 17, 2008 |
4.4 / 5 (19) |
1
In pursuing cleaner energy there is such a thing as being too green. Unicellular microalgae, for instance, can be considered too green. In a paper in a special energy issue of Optics Express, the Optical Society's (OSA) ...
Forests of Artificial Trees Could Slow Global Warming
Aug 28, 2009 |
3.5 / 5 (23) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study on how technology could help to regulate climate change has studied hundreds of ideas, and selected three considered practical and able to be implemented quickly. The report's ...
Atlanta firm to develop Ohio University algae bioreactor
Oct 08, 2008 |
4.8 / 5 (16) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Atlanta firm Green Bios Technologies has licensed a new type of algae bioreactor from Ohio University developed by internationally renowned engineering professor David Bayless. The company ...
Killer algae a key player in mass extinctions
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 19, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (17) |
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Algae, not asteroids, were the key to the end of the dinosaurs, say two Clemson University researchers. Geologist James W. Castle and ecotoxicologist John H. Rodgers have published findings that toxin producing ...
Nanofarming technology harvest biofuel oils without harming algae
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Apr 07, 2009 |
5 / 5 (14) |
3
Algae is widely touted as the next best source for fueling the world's energy needs. But one of the greatest challenges in creating biofuels from algae is that when you extract the oil from the algae, it kills ...
A new day dawned fast: Recovery from marine mass extinction happened much faster than thought
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 02, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (14) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- In 1979, Luis Alvarez and his collaborators stunned the world with their discovery that an asteroid impact 65 million years ago probably killed off the dinosaurs and much of the the world's ...
Algae and pollen grains provide evidence of remarkably warm period in Antarctica's history
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 01, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (12) |
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For Sophie Warny, LSU assistant professor of geology and geophysics and curator at the LSU Museum of Natural Science, years of patience in analyzing Antarctic samples with low fossil recovery finally led to a scientific breakthrough. ...
Hydrogen-making algae's 'Achilles' heel' discovered
Sep 29, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
3
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have discovered how oxygen stops green algae from producing hydrogen. The findings could help those working towards 'solar H2-farms' in which microorganisms produce hydrogen fuel ...
Algae-Based Biofuel From Fish
Sep 01, 2009 |
3.9 / 5 (12) |
14
Right now, when biofuel is produced using algae, cultures are grown and then processed into fuel. But the process is expensive and difficult. Now a company in Texas, LiveFuels, Inc., hopes that it will be ...
Exxon to make alternative fuel from algae: report
Jul 14, 2009 |
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Oil giant Exxon Mobil plans to announce a 600-million-dollar investment to produce liquid transportation fuel from algae, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.
