Planktonic wonders of a drifting world – Cell biology of climate change

The open ocean is responsible for 30-50% séquestration of all the carbon we pump into the atmosphere. Details of how that works, and what the limits of this « biological pump » remain elusive. This is because we still don't understand fundamental principles of how life is organized in the vast, deep, and stratified oceans, including sedimentation of living matter. Using paradoxes such as how cells avoid gravity traps or tune cell density at rapid time scales or how viral pandemics spread in the open ocean - we will explore the last great unknown and the largest biosphere on our planet - from the viewpoint of a single cell! Hidden in these puzzles are also answers we must rapidly uncover if we are to avoid tipping points in biological carbon sequestration.