Seminar: "Every other breath comes from Photosynthesis in the Oceans" - Paul Falkowski

Marine and Coastal Sciences Seminar:

"Every other breath comes from Photosynthesis in the Oceans"

Paul Falkowski
Bennett L. Smith Chair in Business and Natural Resources
Rutgers University

Paul's research interests are focused on three areas – origins of life, how electron transfer reactions are mediated, and how organisms transformed the geochemistry of Earth. In the evolution of Earth, microbes became a major force in transforming this planet to make it habitable for animals, including humans. He seeks to understand the basic chemical reactions that enabled microbes to transform Earth’s geochemistry. He works at the molecular level of proteins and fundamental chemical reactions of minerals, and the global scale of how this planet came to have oxygen as the second most abundant gas. he is interested in understanding how these kinds of processes have transformed our planet and may evolve on planetary bodies in our solar system and on extra-solar planets. These insights allow Paul to think about: Where did we come from? And are we alone?