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Green Tea

A culture flask containing marine microorganisms could be the source of new treatments for cystic fibrosis, thanks to work recently begun by WHOI microbiologist Tracy Mincer and the Flatley Discovery Lab in Charlestown, Mass. To look for chemicals with pharmaceutical potential, a small pouch filled with resin beads is placed in the flask. The pouch works like a teabag in reverse: Instead of sending molecules into the water, the beads soak up compounds made by the microbes. The compounds are then removed from the beads and analyzed. The broth takes on the color of natural pigments made by the microbes, which in this flask were photosynthetic.(Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)