I don’t know how many of you already know this, but my dissertation research centers on two microbial processes: methanogenesis, and the anaerobic oxidation of methane (lovingly abbreviated as ‘AOM‘). These processes are two sides of the same biogeochemical coin, and that coin is methane (you may also know or have seen this written as CH4). Methane is one of the current world’s ‘trace gases’, or a gas which comprises less than 1% of the total atmosphere. Despite its relatively minor volumetric contribution, methane is a more potent ‘heat-trapping’ greenhouse gas than the more abundant gases CO2 and water vapor. Let’s therefore assume that it’s a worthy and fascinating research topic, and move on. This is an adorable crocheted molecule of methane that I got as a present a few years ago, that I uninspiringly named Methane:
The making of an oxygen-free zone!
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