This publication is unique among a number of books on cyanobacteria because it focuses on the bioenergetics of these widespread organisms which are the evolutionary prerequisite for the development of all higher forms of life on our "blue" planet. The book primarily addresses questions of energy conversion by the fundamental bioenergetic processes: (oxygenic) photosynthesis, (aerobic) respiration, and (anaerobic) fermentation which uniquely occur together in these prokaryotic cells. Thermophilic cyanobacteria offer the most suitable material for high resolution structure analyses of Photosystem I and II and other electron transport complexes by X-ray crystallography (for example, at present the structure of Photosystem II at atomic resolution is only known for these organisms). These achievements during the last decade represent a milestone in our understanding of the complexes which are crucial for solar energy exploitation through photosynthetic water splitting. The present work represents an ambitious attempt to achieve the goal of a synoptic state-of-the-art picture by casting together the mosaics of detailed knowledge described by leading experts in the field. It contains 24 chapters written by 35 authors from Europe, USA, India and Japan. The book is aimed at reaching a broad audience ranging from students to experienced scientists. The editors wish all readers a pleasant and stimulating journey through the fascinating “world” of the bioenergetics of cyanobacteria and sincerely hope that this book will not only be of great value for the experts but also entice young people into this exciting research area with the aim to address successfully the challenging problems of high relevance that are still waiting for a satisfactory answer.

This publication is unique among a number of books on cyanobacteria because it focuses on the bioenergetics of these widespread organisms which are the evolutionary prerequisite for the development of all higher forms of life on our "blue" planet. The book primarily addresses questions of energy conversion by the fundamental bioenergetic processes: (oxygenic) photosynthesis, (aerobic) respiration, and (anaerobic) fermentation which uniquely occur together in these prokaryotic cells. Thermophilic cyanobacteria offer the most suitable material for high resolution structure analyses of Photosystem I and II and other electron transport complexes by X-ray crystallography (for example, at present the structure of Photosystem II at atomic resolution is only known for these organisms). These achievements during the last decade represent a milestone in our understanding of the complexes which are crucial for solar energy exploitation through photosynthetic water splitting. The present work represents an ambitious attempt to achieve the goal of a synoptic state-of-the-art picture by casting together the mosaics of detailed knowledge described by leading experts in the field. It contains 24 chapters written by 35 authors from Europe, USA, India and Japan. The book is aimed at reaching a broad audience ranging from students to experienced scientists. The editors wish all readers a pleasant and stimulating journey through the fascinating “world” of the bioenergetics of cyanobacteria and sincerely hope that this book will not only be of great value for the experts but also entice young people into this exciting research area with the aim to address successfully the challenging problems of high relevance that are still waiting for a satisfactory answer.

A significant component of many different ecosystems, cyanobacteria occupy almost every niche of the earth, including fresh and salt waters, rice fields, hot springs, arid deserts, and polar regions. Cyanobacteria, along with algae, produce nearly half the global oxygen, making assessment of their ecophysiologies important for understanding climate

More than twenty years ago, as a fledgling graduate some peculiar aspects of the genetics of these student who was just starting to learn about these organisms but to pay respects to the two volumes of organisms that would become my primary research Carr of Whitton that played important roles in my focus, the publication of Noel Carr and Brian own thinking about cyanobacteria (and no doubt in Whitton's The Biology of the Blue-Green Algae in the development of many others as well). Contri 1973 was an event of great significance. Until the buting authors were asked to describe not only what appearance of this treatise, there was no single volume we know at present, but also to point out things we available that presented a broad overview of the don't know yet. I have attempted to assemble a book biology and biochemistry ofthese organisms. Nearly that would stimulate graduate students and other ten years later, I was privileged to be a contributing researchers in the same way that I was affected by the author to Carr and Whitton's sequel volume The books mentioned above. Biology of the Cyanobacteria. Although the It appears that cyanobacterial molecular biologists intervening period had been marked by heated debates have indeed paid attention to the admonition of their over the taxonomy and taxonomic position of the erstwhile colleague, W Ford Doolittle, to 'study organisms, it was also a time when the comparative those things that cyanobacteria do well.

This technical book explores current and future applications of solar power as an unlimited source of energy that earth receives every day. Photosynthetic organisms have learned to utilize this abundant source of energy by converting it into high-energy biochemical compounds. Inspired by the efficient conversion of solar energy into an electron flow, attempts have been made to construct artificial photosynthetic systems capable of establishing a charge separation state for generating electricity or driving chemical reactions. Another important aspect of photosynthesis is the CO2 fixation and the production of high energy compounds. Photosynthesis can produce biomass using solar energy while reducing the CO2 level in air. Biomass can be converted into biofuels such as biodiesel and bioethanol. Under certain conditions, photosynthetic organisms can also produce hydrogen gas which is one of the cleanest sources of energy.

It has been said that new discoveries and developments in the human, social, and natural sciences hang "in the air" (Bowler, 1983; 2008) prior to their consummation. While neo-Darwinist biology has been powerfully served by its mechanistic metaphysic and a reductionist methodology in which living organisms are considered machines, many of the chapters in this volume place this paradigm into question. Pairing scientists and philosophers together, this volume explores what might be termed "the New Frontiers" of biology, namely contemporary areas of research that appear to call an updating, a supplementation, or a relaxation of some of the main tenets of the Modern Synthesis. Such areas of investigation include: Emergence Theory, Systems Biology, Biosemiotics, Homeostasis, Symbiogenesis, Niche Construction, the Theory of Organic Selection (also known as "the Baldwin Effect"), Self-Organization and Teleodynamics, as well as Epigenetics. Most of the chapters in this book offer critical reflections on the neo-Darwinist outlook and work to promote a novel synthesis that is open to a greater degree of inclusivity as well as to a more holistic orientation in the biological sciences.