A truly extraordinary study conducted by our Pietro D’Abano Thermal Studies Center, in partnership with the Department of Biology at the University of Padua, the National Research Council of Florence, the European Space Agency, and the National Biodiversity Future Center of Palermo, has been published in the prestigious international scientific journal Frontiers.
In fact, a new form of life has been discovered in our mature thermal mud—specifically, a cyanobacterium that challenges the limits of nature. Once isolated, this tiny organism demonstrated an extraordinary ability to produce chlorophyll F. This newly identified organism has been named Kovacikia euganea.
Chlorophyll F (C₅₅H₇₀O₆N₄Mg), discovered in 2010, has a peak absorbance around 706 nm, in the near-infrared spectrum, making it the chlorophyll with the longest known absorption wavelength. This characteristic allows it to capture and utilize light in low-light conditions, such as in deep environments or specific ecological niches, enabling photosynthesis.
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