fern: Annotated classification: …genus and 2 species (Metaxya rostrata and M. lanosa), of low elevations in the Neotropics, particularly the Amazonian region. Order Polypodiales (known as Filicales in some older literature) Suborder Lindsaeineae Family

Metaxyaceae, small family of ferns in the division Pteridophyta (the lower vascular plants). The single genus, Metaxya, contains two species, M. rostrata and M. lanosa. M. rostrata is widespread in Neotropical mountains from southern Mexico to Bolivia and Brazil. It also occurs on some islands,

métayage, type of land tenure whereby the cultivator (métayer) uses land without owning it and pays rent in kind to the owner. Pure métayage is a form of share tenancy involving payment of approximately half the annual output; the métayer’s family permanently occupies the land that it works. The

Ediacara fauna: Discoveries and analysis: …as a definitive stage in metazoan evolution has been complicated by fossil discoveries that date to before the start of the Ediacaran Period. Spongelike fossils with metazoan characteristics, as well as chemicals that are likely precursors to those produced by modern sponges, have been found in rocks dating from 760…

Ediacara fauna: Discoveries and analysis: …as a definitive stage in metazoan evolution has been complicated by fossil discoveries that date to before the start of the Ediacaran Period. Spongelike fossils with metazoan characteristics, as well as chemicals that are likely precursors to those produced by modern sponges, have been found in rocks dating from 760…

animal disease: Zoonoses: …the transmission to humans of metazoonoses; arboviral and trypanosomal diseases are good examples of metazoonoses. The cycles of saprozoonoses (for example, histoplasmosis) may require, in addition to vertebrate hosts, specific environmental locations or reservoirs.

Laurie Metcalf is an American actress who won acclaim for her captivating performances in a variety of roles onstage, in movies, and on television. She is perhaps most widely known for her work in sitcoms. Metcalf grew up in Edwardsville, Illinois, where her father was budget director at Southern

Laurie Metcalf is an American actress who won acclaim for her captivating performances in a variety of roles onstage, in movies, and on television. She is perhaps most widely known for her work in sitcoms. Metcalf grew up in Edwardsville, Illinois, where her father was budget director at Southern

Arizona Cardinals: …quarterback Jim Hart, running back Terry Metcalf, and a pair of future Hall of Famers, offensive lineman Dan Dierdorf and tight end Jackie Smith, won 10 games and made the first of two consecutive trips to the playoffs, where they lost each time. The Cardinals returned to the playoffs again…

the Ten: Benson, Willard Leroy Metcalf, Edmund Tarbell, Robert Reid, and E.E. Simmons. When Twachtman died in 1902, William Merritt Chase replaced him.

Charles T. Metcalfe was a British overseas administrator who, as acting governor-general of India, instituted in that country important reforms, particularly freedom of the press and the establishment of English as the official language. He later served as crown-appointed governor of Jamaica and

Charles T. Metcalfe was a British overseas administrator who, as acting governor-general of India, instituted in that country important reforms, particularly freedom of the press and the establishment of English as the official language. He later served as crown-appointed governor of Jamaica and

Ralph Metcalfe was an American sprinter, member of the American 4 × 100-meter relay team that won a gold medal at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. At his peak, in 1934–35, he was called “the world’s fastest human”; in 1932 and 1936 he won Olympic silver medals in the 100-metre dash, losing close

Ralph Metcalfe was an American sprinter, member of the American 4 × 100-meter relay team that won a gold medal at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. At his peak, in 1934–35, he was called “the world’s fastest human”; in 1932 and 1936 he won Olympic silver medals in the 100-metre dash, losing close

Ethernet: …led by American electrical engineer Robert Metcalfe, sought to create a technology that could connect many computers over long distances. Metcalfe later forged an alliance between Xerox, Digital Equipment Corporation, and Intel Corporation, creating a 10-megabit-per-second (Mbps) standard, which was ratified by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).…

William Seward Burroughs: …financial help from an acquaintance, Thomas B. Metcalfe, completed his first calculating machine (1885), which, however, proved to be commercially impractical. But, with Metcalfe and two other St. Louis businessmen, he organized the American Arithmometer Company in 1888; after much trial and error he patented a practical model in 1892.…

Élie Metchnikoff was a Russian-born zoologist and microbiologist who received (with Paul Ehrlich) the 1908 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his discovery in animals of amoeba-like cells that engulf foreign bodies such as bacteria—a phenomenon known as phagocytosis and a fundamental part

crustacean: Exoskeleton: (3) Metecdysis, or postmolt, is the stage in which the soft cuticle gradually hardens and becomes calcified. At the end of this stage the cuticle is complete. (4) Intermolt is a period of variable duration, from a few days in small forms to a year or…

Vladimir Sorokin: Metel (2010; The Blizzard) chronicles the travails of a doctor journeying to a zombie-afflicted village with a lifesaving vaccine.

ancient Rome: War against Jugurtha: …of the family of the Metelli, prominent in politics for a generation after the Gracchi and dominant for part of that time. In foreign affairs the client kingdom of Numidia—loyal ever since its institution by Scipio Africanus—assumed quite unwarranted importance when a succession crisis developed there soon after 120.

Vasco Pratolini: The first, Metello (1955), considered the finest of the three, follows its working-class hero through the labour disputes after 1875 and climaxes with a successful building masons’ strike in 1902. The second, Lo scialo (1960; “The Waste”), depicts the lassitude of the lower classes between 1902 and…

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer was a leading Roman politician of the late 60s bc who became an opponent of Pompey the Great, the Catilinarian conspiracy (see Catiline), and the formation of the secret political agreement of Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Marcus Crassus. Adopted from one branch of the

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus was a Roman general. Consul in 69 bc, Metellus was appointed to the command of the war against Crete, the headquarters of the pirates of the Mediterranean. Two years later the Senate passed the Lex Gabinia, giving Pompey absolute control of all operations against

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus was a Roman general and statesman who was the first Roman not of noble birth to serve as consul (one of two chief magistrates) and censor (one of two magistrates in charge of the census and the enforcement of public morality). While a praetor (second highest

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus was a Roman general during the Jugurthine War (111–105) and leader of the powerful Caecilius Metellus family, whose power had been established in the previous generation by his father, Metellus Calvus, and Calvus’s brother, Quintus Metellus Macedonicus. As one

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio was a Roman politician, a leading supporter of his son-in-law Pompey the Great in the power struggle between Pompey and Julius Caesar. The son of Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica, Metellus was adopted by Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius, the son of Metellus

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius was a Roman general and statesman who supported Lucius Cornelius Sulla. He earned his surname Pius (signifying filial devotion) by his unremitting efforts in 99 bc to obtain the recall from exile of his father, Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus. As praetor (the

Lucius Caecilius Metellus was a Roman general during the First Punic War (264–241 bc). As consul in 251, Metellus decisively defeated the Carthaginian general Hasdrubal at Panormus (now Palermo, Sicily) by panicking the enemy’s elephants. Thereafter the image of an elephant frequently appeared on

Ethiopia: Yohannes IV (1872–89): …was shot and killed at Metema.

reincarnation, in religion and philosophy, rebirth of the aspect of an individual that persists after bodily death—whether it be consciousness, mind, the soul, or some other entity—in one or more successive existences. Depending upon the tradition, these existences may be human, animal, spiritual,

nervous system: Encephalization: …with the cerebellum, constitutes the metencephalon. The caudal part of the hindbrain remains as the medulla oblongata (myelencephalon).

Karel Čapek: …the world’s incomprehension; Povětroň (1934; Meteor) illustrates the subjective causes of objective judgments; and Obyčejný život (1934; An Ordinary Life) explores the complex layers of personality underlying the “self” an “ordinary” man thinks himself to be.

Atlantic Ocean: Early oceanography: …voyages by the research vessel Meteor established Germany as a leader in marine research. Operating in the waters of the South Atlantic, the Meteor traversed the basin 14 times, mapping the seafloor by means of sonar and measuring salinity and temperature distributions at various depths.

aerospace engineering: Aeronautical engineering: …until 1944, when the British Gloster Meteor became operational, shortly followed by the German Me 262. The first practical American jet was the Lockheed F-80, which entered service in 1945.

meteor and meteoroid, respectively, a glowing streak in the sky (meteor) and its cause, which is a relatively small stony or metallic natural object from space (meteoroid) that enters Earth’s atmosphere and heats to incandescence. In modern usage the term meteoroid, rather than being restricted to

Meteor Crater, rimmed, bowl-shaped pit produced by the impact of a large meteorite in the rolling plain of the Canyon Diablo region, 19 miles (30 km) west of Winslow, Arizona, U.S. The crater is 4,000 feet (1,200 metres) in diameter and about 600 feet (180 metres) deep inside its rim, which rises

Scotia Sea: …26,000 feet (7,900 m) in Meteor Deep of the South Sandwich Trench. Water of the southern seas in its unimpeded clockwise race around the Antarctic continent is funneled through the 600-mile- (965-kilometre-) wide Drake Passage and the Scotia Sea, pouring through several main passes of the Scotia Ridge.

meteor shower, temporary rise in the rate of meteor sightings, caused by the entry into Earth’s atmosphere of a number of meteoroids (see meteor and meteoroid) at approximately the same place in the sky and the same time of year, traveling in parallel paths and apparently having a common origin.

Steve Martin: …moving to other cities, and Meteor Shower, a comedy that ran on Broadway in 2017–18 and starred Amy Schumer. He also wrote a series of well-received satiric articles for The New Yorker magazine, later published in the best-selling collection Pure Drivel (1998). His novella Shopgirl (2000) was produced as a…

meteor and meteoroid: Meteor showers: …move in confined streams (called meteor streams) around the Sun. The introduction of radar observation led to the discovery of new meteor showers—and thus of new meteor streams—that were invisible to the eye and to cameras because they came from radiants in the daytime sky. All told, about 2,000 showers…

Metéora, group of monasteries on the summits of vertical rock formations in Thessaly (Modern Greek: Thessalía), Greece. The monasteries are located just north of the small town of Kalambáka, south of the village of Kastraki, and east of the Pindus (Píndos) Mountains in the valley of the Pineiós

Earth sciences: Water vapour in the atmosphere: In “Les Météores”(“Meteorology,” an essay published in the book Discours de la methode in 1637), Descartes envisioned water as composed of minute particles that were elongate, smooth, and separated by a highly rarified “subtle matter.”

Michel Tournier: Les Météores (1975; Gemini) involves the desperate measures one man takes to be reunited with his identical twin brother, who has broken away from their obsessive, singular world. Tournier’s two subsequent novels recast ancient stories with a modern twist: Gaspard, Melchior & Balthazar (1980; The Four Wise Men)…

meteorite, any fairly small natural object from interplanetary space—i.e., a meteoroid—that survives its passage through Earth’s atmosphere and lands on the surface. In modern usage the term is broadly applied to similar objects that land on the surface of other comparatively large bodies. For

meteorite crater, depression that results from the impact of a natural object from interplanetary space with Earth or with other comparatively large solid bodies such as the Moon, other planets and their satellites, or larger asteroids and comets. For this discussion, the term meteorite crater is

meteor and meteoroid: Measurement of meteoroid orbits: …United States, the MORP (Meteorite Observation and Recovery Project) network in the Prairie Provinces of Canada, and the European Network with stations in Germany and Czechoslovakia. The most complete set of published data was that of the Prairie Network, which was operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (later merged…

meteorite shower, swarm of separate but related meteorites that land on Earth’s surface at about the same time and place. Meteorite showers are produced by the fragmentation of a large meteoroid in the atmosphere. The area in which the meteorites fall, the strewn-field, is generally a rough ellipse

Gabriel-Auguste Daubrée: …meteorites and in 1886 published Météorites et la constitution géologique du globe (“Meteorites and the Geologic Constitution of the World”). In this work he proposed a classification system for meteorites, presented information on their composition and relationship to terrestrial rocks, and described their change in shape as they pass through…

Meteoritical Society, international scientific organization that promotes research and education on meteorites and other extraterrestrial materials such as interplanetary dust, interstellar grains, and samples from the Moon. Additional areas of research include impact craters, asteroids, comets,

lechatelierite: Two varieties are included: meteoritic silica glass, produced when terrestrial silica is fused in the intense heat and pressure created by the impact of large meteorites; and fulgurite (q.v.), glass produced when silica is fused in the heat generated by a lightning strike. Tektites, tear-shaped meteoritic glass, the silica…

Meteoritical Society, international scientific organization that promotes research and education on meteorites and other extraterrestrial materials such as interplanetary dust, interstellar grains, and samples from the Moon. Additional areas of research include impact craters, asteroids, comets,

meteoritics, scientific discipline concerned with meteors and meteorites. The awe-inspiring noise and lights accompanying some meteoric falls convinced early humans that meteorites came from the gods; accordingly these objects were widely regarded with awe and veneration. This association of

Meteoritical Society: …and sponsors two scientific journals—Meteoritics and Planetary Science (monthly), which deals with all research topics of interest to the society, and Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (twice monthly; jointly with the Geochemical Society), which focuses on meteorite chemistry. Its nomenclature committee approves names proposed for all newly recovered meteorites and…

William Henry Dines: …measurement and designed a remarkable meteorograph for upper-air soundings weighing only about 2 ounces (60 g). This became for years the standard British instrument for upper-atmosphere soundings and provided many data on pressure, temperature, and humidity in heights well into the stratosphere. His analysis of these data revealed striking correlations…

meteor and meteoroid: meteoroid, respectively, a glowing streak in the sky (meteor) and its cause, which is a relatively small stony or metallic natural object from space (meteoroid) that enters Earth’s atmosphere and heats to incandescence. In modern usage the term meteoroid, rather than being restricted to objects…

John Frederic Daniell: In his Meteorological Essays and Observations (1823), Daniell revealed his findings on the behaviour of the atmosphere and on trade winds, in addition to giving details of improved meteorological equipment. In a later edition he also discussed the meteorological effects of solar radiation and the cooling of…

weather forecasting: Measurements and ideas as the basis for weather prediction: The observations of few other scientific enterprises are as vital or affect as many people as those related to weather forecasting. From the days when early humans ventured from caves and other natural shelters, perceptive individuals…

John Dalton: Early scientific career: This work, Meteorological Observations and Essays, was published in 1793. It created little stir at first but contained original ideas that, together with Dalton’s more developed articles, marked the transition of meteorology from a topic of general folklore to a serious scientific pursuit.

weather satellite, any of a class of Earth satellites designed to monitor meteorological conditions (see Earth

weather bureau, agency established by many countries to observe and report the weather and to issue weather forecasts and warnings of weather and flood conditions affecting national safety, welfare, and the economy. In each country the national weather bureau strongly affects almost every citizen’s

Earth sciences: Weather and climate: …of works published in the Meteorologische Zeitschrift (“Journal of Meteorology”). The Handbuch was kept current in revised editions until 1911, and this work is still sometimes called the most skillfully written account of world climate.

meteorology, Scientific study of atmospheric phenomena, particularly of the troposphere and lower stratosphere. Meteorology entails the systematic study of weather and its causes, and provides the basis for weather forecasting. See also

armillary sphere: …believed to have been the meteōroskopion of the Alexandrine Greeks (c. ad 140), but earlier and simpler types of ring instruments were also in general use. Ptolemy, in the Almagest, enumerates at least three. It is stated that Hipparchus (146–127 bc) used a sphere of four rings; and in Ptolemy’s…

European Space Agency: …of meteorological satellites known as Meteosat. At the beginning of the 21st century, ESA launched the Mars Express orbiter and its lander, Beagle 2. With the launching of the Columbus laboratory on the International Space Station in 2008, ESA became a full partner in the operation of the station. In…

tsunami: Meteotsunamis: A meteotsunami is a sea wave with a height of roughly 2 metres (about 6 feet) or more. In general, they are smaller than seismic tsunamis and are produced by sudden changes in atmospheric pressure, such as during the passing of squalls or storm fronts. The…

metre, in music, rhythmic pattern constituted by the grouping of basic temporal units, called beats, into regular measures, or bars; in Western notation, each measure is set off from those adjoining it by bar lines. A time (or metre) signature, found at the beginning of a piece of music, indicates

metre (m), in measurement, fundamental unit of length in the metric system and in the International Systems of Units (SI). It is equal to approximately 39.37 inches in the British Imperial and United States Customary systems. The metre was historically defined by the French Academy of Sciences in

metre, in poetry, the rhythmic pattern of a poetic line. Various principles, based on the natural rhythms of language, have been devised to organize poetic lines into rhythmic units. These have produced distinct kinds of versification, among which the most common are quantitative, syllabic,

pharmaceutical industry: Specialized dosage forms: Usually, the metered-dose aerosol or inhaler is placed in the mouth for use. When the release valve is activated, a predetermined dose of drug is expelled. The patient inhales the expelled drug, delivering it to the bronchial airways. Patches are dosage forms intended to deliver drug across the skin and…

Netherlands: Culture: …revolt by Pieter Bor and Emanuel van Meteren; the highly polished account by Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, a masterpiece of narration and judgment in the spirit of Tacitus; the heavily factual chronicle of Lieuwe van Aitzema, with its interspersed commentary of skeptical wisdom; Abraham de Wicquefort’s history of the Republic (principally…

soul music: …work of Art Neville’s group the Meters. Atlantic Records produced smoldering soul smashes in New York City—notably by Aretha Franklin and Donny Hathaway; Wonder and the Jackson 5 created some of the era’s great soul records in Los Angeles; and in Philadelphia, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff virtually reinvented the…

metes and bounds, limits or boundaries of a tract of land as identified by natural landmarks, such as rivers, or by man-made structures, such as roads, or by stakes or other markers. A principal legal type of land description in the United States, metes-and-bounds descriptions are commonly used

George Metesky was an American terrorist known for having planted at least 33 bombs throughout New York City during the 1940s and ’50s. The 16-year hunt for the Mad Bomber was solved by using one of the first applications of criminal profiling. Metesky was the son of Lithuanian immigrants. He was

mammal: Estrus and other cycles: …not occur, a phase termed metestrus ensues, in which the reproductive tract assumes its normal condition. Metestrus may be followed by anestrus, a nonreproductive period characterized by quiescence or involution of the reproductive tract. On the other hand, anestrus may be followed by a brief quiescent period (diestrus) and another…

Haim Naḥman Bialik: “Metey midbar” imaginatively builds on a Talmudic legend about the Jewish host (in the biblical book of Exodus) who perished in the desert. “Ha-brekha” is a visionary nature poem in which the body of water reveals to the poet the wordless language of the universe…

diabetes mellitus: Drugs used to control blood glucose levels: Biguanides, of which metformin is the primary member, are considered antihyperglycemic agents because they work by decreasing the production of glucose in the liver and by increasing the action of insulin on muscle and adipose tissues. A potentially fatal side effect of metformin is the accumulation of lactic…

Bernat Metge was a poet and prose writer whose masterpiece, Lo Somni (1398; “The Dream”), initiated a classical trend in Catalan literature. Educated in medicine, Metge entered (1376) the royal household of Peter IV of Aragon and Catalonia to serve as secretary-mentor to Prince John (later King

Bernat Metge was a poet and prose writer whose masterpiece, Lo Somni (1398; “The Dream”), initiated a classical trend in Catalan literature. Educated in medicine, Metge entered (1376) the royal household of Peter IV of Aragon and Catalonia to serve as secretary-mentor to Prince John (later King

industrial glass: Glassy metals: …that is commercially available as Metglas (trademark). It is used in flexible magnetic shielding and power transformers.

methamphetamine, potent and addictive synthetic stimulant drug that affects the central nervous system (the spinal cord and brain). Methamphetamine is prescribed for the treatment of certain medical conditions, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, and obesity. In

methamphetamine: …on hundreds of clandestine “meth labs” arose in the Southwest and West and, in the 1990s, spread to parts of the Midwest. Despite periodic police crackdowns, large quantities of the drug were produced in these labs. Methamphetamine abuse also became particularly widespread in Pacific Rim countries, where it emerged…

photoengraving: Electromechanical plate making: …discovered about 1950 that some methacrylate compounds could be quickly polymerized (converted to products of high molecular weight and low solubility) by exposure to light. Nylon was also found to be photosensitive, and by 1958 both materials were being offered for use in printing plates. Another plate-making system, reportedly based…

acrylic: …on derivatives of acrylic and methacrylic acid. Both acrylic acid (CH2=CHCO2H) and methacrylic acid (CH2=C[CH3]CO2H) have been synthesized since the mid-19th century, but the practical potential of materials related to these compounds became apparent only about 1901, when German chemist Otto Röhm published doctoral research on polymers of acrylic

methadone, potent synthetic narcotic drug that is the most effective form of treatment for addiction to heroin and other narcotics. Methadone first became available at the end of World War II. Similar to morphine in its analgesic effect, it was originally used in medicine to alleviate severe pain.

methamphetamine, potent and addictive synthetic stimulant drug that affects the central nervous system (the spinal cord and brain). Methamphetamine is prescribed for the treatment of certain medical conditions, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, and obesity. In

formaldehyde (HCHO), an organic compound, the simplest of the aldehydes, used in large amounts in a variety of chemical manufacturing processes. It is produced principally by the vapour-phase oxidation of methanol and is commonly sold as formalin, a 37 percent aqueous solution. Formalin may be

amine: Nomenclature of amines: …the ending -amine, as in methylamine, CH3NH2; N-ethyl-N-propylamine (or ethyl(propyl)amine), CH3CH2NHCH2CH2CH3; and tributylamine, (CH3CH2CH2CH2)3N. Two or more groups cited are in alphabetical order; to clarify which groups are attached to nitrogen rather than to each other, Ns or internal parentheses are used. A few aromatic

methane, colourless, odourless gas that occurs abundantly in nature and as a product of certain human activities. Methane is the simplest member of the paraffin series of hydrocarbons and is among the most potent of the greenhouse gases. Its chemical formula is CH4. Methane is lighter than air,

methane burp hypothesis, in oceanography and climatology, an explanation of the sudden onset of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), an interval of geologic time roughly 55 million years ago characterized by the highest global temperatures of the Cenozoic Era (65 million years ago to the

natural gas, colourless highly flammable gaseous hydrocarbon consisting primarily of methane and ethane. It is a type of petroleum that commonly occurs in association with crude oil. A natural resource and fossil fuel, natural gas is used for electricity generation, heating, and cooking and as a

paraffin hydrocarbon, any of the saturated hydrocarbons having the general formula CnH2n+2, C being a carbon atom, H a hydrogen atom, and n an integer. The paraffins are major constituents of natural gas and petroleum. Paraffins containing fewer than 5 carbon atoms per molecule are usually gaseous

bacteria: Distribution in nature: …highly specialized and obligately anaerobic methanogenic prokaryotes, all of which are archaea. Methanogens use carbon dioxide as their terminal electron acceptor and receive electrons from hydrogen gas (H2). A few other substances can be converted to methane by these organisms, including methanol, formic acid, acetic acid, and methylamines. Despite the…

organosulfur compound: Thiols: Low-molecular-weight thiols such as methanethiol (CH3SH) are found in crude petroleum. As such, they pose serious problems, associated not only with objectionable odours but also with their corrosive effect on equipment and their ability to poison (render nonfunctional) catalysts for air-pollution control or for other chemical processes. If they…

carbide: Ionic carbides: …the forms C4−, sometimes called methanides since they can be viewed as being derived from methane, (CH4); C22−, called acetylides and derived from acetylene (C2H2); and C34−, derived from allene (C3H4). The best-characterized methanides are probably beryllium carbide (Be2C) and aluminum carbide (Al

archaea: …around pH 0; and the methanogens, which produce methane gas as a metabolic by-product and are found in anaerobic environments, such as in marshes, hot springs, and the guts of animals, including humans.

bacteria: Distribution in nature: …highly specialized and obligately anaerobic methanogenic prokaryotes, all of which are archaea. Methanogens use carbon dioxide as their terminal electron acceptor and receive electrons from hydrogen gas (H2). A few other substances can be converted to methane by these organisms, including methanol, formic acid, acetic acid, and methylamines. Despite the…

bacteria: Distribution in nature: …highly specialized and obligately anaerobic methanogenic prokaryotes, all of which are archaea. Methanogens use carbon dioxide as their terminal electron acceptor and receive electrons from hydrogen gas (H2). A few other substances can be converted to methane by these organisms, including methanol, formic acid, acetic acid, and methylamines. Despite the…

formic acid (HCO2H), the simplest of the carboxylic acids, used in processing textiles and leather. Formic acid was first isolated from certain ants and was named after the Latin formica, meaning “ant.” It is made by the action of sulfuric acid upon sodium formate, which is produced from carbon

methanol (CH3OH), the simplest of a long series of organic compounds called alcohols, consisting of a methyl group (CH3) linked with a hydroxy group (OH). Methanol was formerly produced by the destructive distillation of wood. The modern method of preparing methanol is based on the direct

Permian extinction: Population explosion of methane-producing microbes: …rapid blooming of archaea called Methanosarcina, which evolved the ability to manufacture methane (CH4) near the end of the Permian Period, may have played a significant role in the dramatic rise in Earth’s ocean temperatures and changes to the planet’s carbon cycle. A sudden increase in methane in the atmosphere…