"Surprising Discoveries: Earth's Oxygen Production and Ocean Oxygen Loss Reveal Hopeful Outlook"
Researchers at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography have discovered a previously unknown cellular mechanism that promotes photosynthesis in marine phytoplankton, which could be responsible for between 7% and 25% of all oxygen production and carbon fixation in the ocean. This process, involving a proton-pumping enzyme called VHA, could contribute up to 12% of the Earth's total oxygen production. The study focused on diatoms, single-celled algae with ornamental cell walls made of silica, and found that the enzyme enhances photosynthesis by delivering more carbon dioxide to chloroplasts, resulting in the production of more oxygen. The findings shed light on the evolution of diatoms and could have implications for biotechnological approaches to improve photosynthesis and carbon sequestration.