Title
Preview
Description
Able to swap and repair genes, some microbes evolve ways to tolerate oxygen by forming protective enzymes. These enzymes react with dangerous radicals produced by oxygen, converting them to innocuous compounds.
Other microbes develop a radical approach to oxygen, which both protects them and provides a powerful new means of energy transformation. They consume the oxygen produced by photosynthesis. Aerobic respiration commences: controlled combustion breaks down organic molecules for energy and gives off energy-poor carbon dioxide and water.
This innovation energizes life. Fermenting a single sugar molecule produces two molecules of ATP, the primary energy carrier for cell metabolism and motility. Processing the same sugar molecule through respiration yields as many as 36 energizing ATP molecules.
Date Created
1997
Holding Institution
University of Montana--Missoula. Environmental Studies Program
Rights Statement
Rights Holder
© 1997 Stiftung Drittes Millennium
Item Type
Exhibit
Digital File Format
image/jpeg
Media Type
Text; Image
Digital Image Number
29_wtt_file02_20-39.jpg
Recommended Citation
Liebes, Sid; Mittelstadt, Laurie; Waugh, Barbara; and Brynes, Lois, "Panel 29: Energized" (1997). A Walk Through Time - From Stardust To Us. 29.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/awalkthroughtime/29