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Pigment purpurogallin
June 24 , 2024
6 days
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- Scientists have traced the evolution of purple algae back hundreds of millions of years.
- And the findings challenge a key idea about how evolution works.
- Though small, these algae are having a dramatic effect on the glaciers they live on.
- During the summer melt season as liquid water forms on glaciers, blooms of purple algae darken the surface of the ice, accelerating the rate of melt.
- The purple colour of glacier algae, which acts like a sunscreen, was generated by new genes involved in pigment production.
- This pigment, purpurogallin, protects algal cells from damage of ultraviolet (UV) and visible light.
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