from Hacker News

New discovery reveals how diatoms capture CO2 so effectively

by lux on 10/21/24, 7:11 PM with 34 comments

• by incompatible on 10/22/24, 12:05 AM

  "The discovery of the PyShell could also open promising avenues for biotechnological research aimed at combatting climate change ..." I wonder. Given that the oceans are already full of these diatoms, and the numbers must be gigantic, would humans be able to do anything in the same order of magnitude?

• by debacle on 10/21/24, 11:48 PM

  “We have now discovered that diatom pyrenoids are encased in a lattice-like protein shell,” says Dr. Manon Demulder, author on both studies. “The PyShell not only gives the pyrenoid its shape, but it helps create a high CO2 concentration in this compartment. This enables Rubisco to efficiently fix CO2 from the ocean and convert it into nutrients.”