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Microbes: Chemists of the Ocean

WHOI/MIT Joint Program PhD candidate Kim Popendorf filters seawater to collect microbial cells onboard R/V Oceanus in 2008. Each filter can hold more than 250 million cells—equivalent to the population of 30 New York Cities. Microbes are chemists of the ocean; some of them transform raw ingredients into food for bigger animals, others break down complex compounds into raw ingredients.  Popendorf is studying new ways to identify microbes and what jobs they do.(Photo by Michal Koblizek, Czech Academy of Sciences)