mosphere, creating conditions for complex life. The findings may also have implications for managing climate change.Process helped stabilize conditions for complex life to evolve
Scientists believe the near-shore environment is where most organic carbon is buried. Credit: University of LeedsDue to the Maillard reaction, smaller molecules are converted into larger molecules. These larger molecules are harder for microorganisms to break down and remain stored in the sediment for tens of thousands—if not millions—of years.That long-term storage or preservation of organic carbon on the seabed had major consequences for conditions that developed on the surface of the Earth.
To test their theory, the researchers looked at what happened to simple organic compounds when mixed with different forms of iron and manganese in the laboratory at 10 degrees Celsius, the temperature of the seabed. Dr. Burkhard Kaulich, Principal Beamline Scientist of the Scanning X-ray Microscopy beamline at Diamond Light Source, said: “Our advanced I08-SXM instrumentation with its high stability, energy, and optical resolution was developed and optimized to help probe carbon chemistry and reactions which take place in environmental systems.