Characterization of an Endophytic Gloeosporium sp. and Its Novel Bioactivity with "Synergistans".

Gloeosporium sp. (OR-10) was isolated as an endophyte of Tsuga heterophylla (Western hemlock). Both ITS and 18S sequence analyses indicated that the organism best fits either Hypocrea spp.

The Paleobiosphere: a novel device for the in vivo testing of hydrocarbon producing-utilizing microorganisms.

The construction and testing of a unique instrument, the Paleobiosphere, which mimics some of the conditions of the ancient earth, is described. The instrument provides an experimental testing system for determining if certain microbes, when provided an adequate environment, can degrade biological materials to produce fuel-like hydrocarbons in a relatively short time frame that become trapped by the shale. The conditions selected for testing included a particulate Montana shale (serving as the "Trap Shale"), plant materials (leaves and stems of three extant species whose origins are in the late Cretaceous), a water-circulating system, sterile air, and a specially designed Carbotrap through which all air was passed as exhaust and volatile were hydrocarbons trapped.