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Lakehead researcher to study oxygen's arrival on Earth

Geologist part of team awarded $2.7 million grant to study rocks near Red Rocks for clues.
pfralick
Lakehead geologist Phillip Fralick (submitted).

THUNDER BAY -- A team of researchers at Lakehead University has been awarded $2.7 million to try to determine when oxygen first entered the Earth’s atmosphere by examining rocks near Red Lake, Ont.

The grant, allocated to Lakeheads Philip Fralick and the European Institute for Marine Studies’ Stefan Lalonde, will be spread over five years.

The study will operate on the premise primitive photosynthesizing organisms were first responsible for adding oxygen to the planet’s ocean-atmosphere system.

According to the university, just when this first occurred is the unknown.

Rocks near Red Rock could provide the clue.

Fossil structures in those rocks hint at the presence of photosynthesizing organisms.

structures are called stromatolites, and modern ones are built by bacteria that can photosynthesis, but it is unknown whether the very old fossils were also built by photosynthesizing bacterial, the release said.

“This funding will allow us to explore when photosynthesis started on our planet, paving the way for the development of multicellular life,” Fralick said in the release.

“It also validates the level of research that is being conducted by Dr. Lalonde’s group at Brest and here at Lakehead.”

It’s great news for the Thunder Bay school, said its vice-president of research and innovation.

“Lakehead was recently named research university of the year for the second year in a row – and this is another example of the exciting research being conducted at the University,” Andrew Dean said. “Thank you to Drs. Fralick and Lalonde for all of their work, and thanks to the European Research Council for recognizing the importance of this research.”


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Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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