The generally accepted theory for the origin of petroleum a geologic processing of the dead remains of ancient ocean life. Credit: DOEFrom Live Science:
Editor's Note: This occasional series of articles looks at the vital things in our lives and the chemistry they are made of.
Oil, the lifeblood of U.S. transportation today, is thought to start with the remnants of tiny organisms that lived millions of years ago, but the exact chemical transformation is somewhat mysterious. New research is looking at the role played by microorganisms that live in the deep dark bowels of the Earth.
A minority of scientists say otherwise, but most geologists think that the petroleum we pump from the ground (and later refine into gasoline and other fuels) comes predominantly from the fossils of marine life, such as algae and plankton.
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