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Botryococcus Canadensis
''Botryococcus'' is a genus of green algae. It is a microscopic or semi-microscopic alga that is found in freshwater habitats worldwide. It consists of colonies of cells in an irregular, gelatinous matrix. ''Botryococcus'' produces high amounts of oil, which often make the colonies colored yellowish to reddish. When seen with a microscope, colonies release oil under the pressure of a cover slip. Because of its high amounts of oil, ''Botryococcus'' is of interest to the field of biotechnology, as it is a promising source of biofuel. In addition to its current biosynthetic capabilities, fossils of the genus are known since Precambrian times, and form the single largest biological contributor to crude oil, and are a major component of oil shales. Taxonomy The genus and its holotype were described in 1849 by Friedrich Traugott Kützing. Description ''Botryococcus'' consists of irregularly shaped colonies of cells; in some species or when old, the colonies may be composed of subcol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Precambrian
The Precambrian ( ; or pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pC, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the Phanerozoic Eon, which is named after Cambria, the Latinized name for Wales, where rocks from this age were first studied. The Precambrian accounts for 88% of the Earth's geologic time. The Precambrian is an informal unit of geologic time, subdivided into three eons ( Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic) of the geologic time scale. It spans from the formation of Earth about 4.6 billion years ago ( Ga) to the beginning of the Cambrian Period, about million years ago ( Ma), when hard-shelled creatures first appeared in abundance. Overview Relatively little is known about the Precambrian, despite it making up roughly seven-eighths of the Earth's history, and what is known has largely been discovered from the 1960s onwards. The Precambrian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
