"Unveiling Ancient Photosynthesis Secrets in Canadian Lake Bacterium"
A Ph.D. student's persistence with a poorly growing bacterial sample from a Canadian lake led to the discovery of a highly unusual bacterium that challenges current scientific knowledge of photosynthesis. The bacterium, found in Lake 227 at the IISD-Experimental Lakes Area, is believed to be a new branch of photosynthetic life and a key piece of the puzzle for resolving how photosynthesis developed on Earth. This unexpected finding could alter perspectives on the origins of photosynthetic life and has opened up new research avenues to understand how photosynthesis transformed the Earth throughout its history.