Page 53 - The Microworld Miracle

er living things to use. Such a transfor-
mation is necessary because human be-
ings and animals lack any mechanism
by which to make direct use of the
Sun's energy. They can obtain that ener-
gy only in synthesized form as the re-
sult of photosynthesis performed by

green plants and microorganisms.
Species known as cyanobacteria
produce more than half of the oxygen
in the atmosphere. 24 The mechanism
these bacteria use is very similar to that
used in plants' chloroplasts. The great
majority of cyanobacteria contain only

chlorophyll. The energy they produce
from sunlight is stored in the form of
simple sugars. The amount of sugar
and oxygen formed by means of photo-
synthesis varies between an estimated
150 and 200 billion tons (330,700,000
million and 440,900,000 million
pounds) a year. 25 This sugar and free
oxygen that form is essential for living

organisms on Earth to survive and HARUN YAHYA
grow, and also to respire.
Cyanobacteria assume an impor-
tant role in stabilizing the concentra-
tion of oxygen in the atmosphere. (ADNAN OKTAR)

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