About Cyanobacteria:
- These are also called blue-green algae, microscopic organisms found naturally in all types of water.
- These single-celled organisms live in fresh, brackish (combined salt and fresh water), and marine water.
- These organisms use sunlight to make their own food.
- In warm, nutrient-rich (high in phosphorus and nitrogen) environments, cyanobacteria can multiply quickly, creating blooms that spread across the water’s surface.
- Cyanobacteria blooms can form in warm, slow-moving waters that are rich in nutrients from sources such as fertilizer runoff or septic tank overflows.
- It needs nutrients to survive. The blooms can form at any time, but most often form in late summer or early fall.
Key facts about Chonkus
- It was discovered in the shallow sunlit waters off the coast of Italy’s Vulcano Island, where volcanic gas-rich groundwater seeps into the sea.
- It has the capacity to absorb a lot more carbon than the average cyanobacteria floating in the ocean.
Q1: What is an Algae?
Algae are a diverse group of aquatic organisms that have the ability to conduct photosynthesis. Certain algae are familiar to most people; for instance, seaweeds (such as kelp or phytoplankton), pond scum or the algal blooms in lakes.
News: Meet Chonkus, the mutant cyanobacteria that could help sink climate change
Last updated on November, 2025
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