Since the 1950s, biologists have known that
photosynthetic cyanobacteria make microcompartments, called carboxysomes, which house an important photosynthesis enzyme.
Many of these microbes persist today; for example, blue - green (
cyanobacteria) or bright green,
photosynthetic bacteria use light from the Sun and chlorophyll to convert carbon dioxide and water into «free» molecular oxygen and carbon,
made into essential organic substances such as carbohydrates.