1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey 2 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:10,520 Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum. Here, we all know that the 3 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 1: ocean is blue, or sometimes a nice blue green, or 4 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:20,240 Speaker 1: during storms and inky blue black. But this wasn't always 5 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:24,640 Speaker 1: the case. Prehistoric oceans were not blue like they are today. 6 00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:28,639 Speaker 1: The scientists have discovered that ancient oceans were actually a 7 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:33,720 Speaker 1: rosy hue, making pink the world's oldest known color created 8 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 1: by living things. The researchers, who published their findings in 9 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:41,840 Speaker 1: the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences back 10 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 1: in found the pink pigment in bacteria fossils that date 11 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:50,639 Speaker 1: back one point one billion years in what's now part 12 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:53,960 Speaker 1: of the Sahara Desert in Mauritania, West Africa, but was 13 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 1: once a vast ocean. The fossils were of tiny cyana bacteria, 14 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 1: which are single celled organisms that are thought to have 15 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 1: survived on sunlight, using an ancient form of chlorophyll to 16 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:10,720 Speaker 1: capture the light energy and convert it into food. These 17 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: cyana bacteria were the dominant life form in Earth's oceans 18 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 1: for eons. They seem to even predate algae, which have 19 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 1: only been traced back about six hundred and fifty million years. 20 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:24,760 Speaker 1: The bacteria were so small and so prevalent that the 21 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:29,040 Speaker 1: researchers think they actually prevented larger life forms from evolving 22 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: for hundreds of millions of years because there are thousand 23 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:36,760 Speaker 1: times smaller than even tiny algae. It wasn't until algae 24 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:39,279 Speaker 1: started taking over that there was enough of a food 25 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:45,280 Speaker 1: source for larger, more active organisms to thrive. But what 26 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: made these little microbes think pink? The fossilized chlorophyll inside 27 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 1: the bacteria was concentrated into dark red and purple hues, 28 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: But in pulverizing and studying the bacteria molecules, the researchers 29 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 1: found the pigment to be a brilliant, bright pink, which 30 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:07,400 Speaker 1: means that when diluted by water or soil, it would 31 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:11,160 Speaker 1: have lent a pink cast to earth and sea. This 32 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 1: is unlike modern chlorophyllm, which today is the bright green 33 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 1: compound that lets plants turn light into food and gives 34 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: most plants, from trees to grass to cabbage their green color. 35 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:28,359 Speaker 1: While it is rare for ancient chlorophyll to be preserved, 36 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:32,040 Speaker 1: these samples were probably formed when a bloom of Cyana 37 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:35,800 Speaker 1: bacteria quickly sank to the sea floor, where the environment 38 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:40,919 Speaker 1: was lacking the oxygen molecules that bolster decay. Once they sank, 39 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:44,519 Speaker 1: the microbes eventually fossilized, and the rock they became part 40 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 1: of remained motionless and in one piece for a billion 41 00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 1: years for the researchers to make this discovery. Today's episode 42 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:59,799 Speaker 1: is based on the article Earth's oldest color was pink 43 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:02,400 Speaker 1: on how stuff works dot Com, written by Lori l. D. 44 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:05,040 Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is a production of I Heart Radio in 45 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:07,000 Speaker 1: partnership with how stuff works dot Com, and it is 46 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: produced by Tyler Play four more podcasts from my heart 47 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:12,959 Speaker 1: Radio is at the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 48 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:14,720 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.