Dr. Uria Alcolombri from the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has been selected as the Israeli winner in the first stage of the prestigious Frontiers Planet Prize competition. The prize is awarded to researchers worldwide in recognition of research that promotes sustainability and contributes to stabilizing Earth's ecological system.

In a paper published in the scientific journal Science, Dr. Alcolombri revealed a surprising discovery: tiny ocean bacteria, only about 2 micrometers in size, play a crucial role in regulating the global climate.

The research revealed something surprising: not all bacteria in the ocean "eat" in the same way. Until now, it was thought that bacteria break down all organic materials similarly, but it turns out some are "picky eaters" that select only certain types of fats, while others consume almost everything. Moreover, it was discovered that bacteria influence each other - sometimes they help each other break down materials faster, and sometimes they actually interfere with each other. This behavior directly affects the amount of carbon that remains trapped in the deep ocean for thousands of years, thus affecting the global climate.

These findings change our understanding of the ocean's ability to store carbon and provide vital information that will help improve global climate models, develop strategies for preserving marine ecosystems, and perhaps even develop natural carbon capture solutions in the future.

The research is the result of international collaboration among experts in microbiology, biophysics, oceanography, biochemistry, and mathematical modeling, combining innovative techniques to study the world of marine microorganisms.