In the awful wake of an oil spill, it's typically the smallest of organisms who do most of the cleaning up. Surprisingly, scientists know very little about the tools these tiny clean-up crews have at their disposal.

But now, thanks to a new study, researchers have uncovered a whole new cycle of natural hydrocarbon emissions and recycling facilitated by a diverse range of tiny organisms – which could help us better understand how some microbes have the power to clean up the mess an oil spill leaves in the ocean






Scientists Discover an Immense, Unknown Hydrocarbon Cycle Hiding in The Oceans (msn.com)