Photosynthesis News and Research

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Photosynthesis is a chemical process by which plants, some bacteria, and algae convert energy derived from sunlight to chemical energy. This is an important process for biological life on earth because it allows energy from sunlight to be harnessed and transferred into a form that can be utilized by organisms to fuel their activity.

Microbial Drought Resistance Could Result in Soil Carbon Losses

Soil stores more carbon than plants and the atmosphere combined, and soil microbes are largely responsible for putting it there.

13 Apr 2023

Evolutionary Encounter of Two Protein Components Could Occur Entirely by Chance

Proteins are the key players for virtually all molecular processes within the cell. To fulfil their diverse functions, they have to interact with other proteins.

7 Apr 2023

New cold "coping" mechanism of plants could offer solutions to breeding more climate resilient crops

On bright chilly mornings you can either snuggle down under the duvet or leap up and seize the day.

31 Mar 2023

Artificial cells to serve as the powerhouse of the future

Chloroplasts and mitochondria are responsible for producing energy in nature, which is essential for creating sustainable, artificial cells in the lab. In addition to being “the powerhouses of the cell,” as the adage from middle school biology goes, mitochondria are also one of the most difficult intracellular components to artificially clone.

30 Mar 2023

Characterizing chlorophylls with help of high-precision quantum chemical calculations

LMU chemists use high-precision quantum chemistry to study key elements of super-efficient energy transfer in an important element of photosynthesis.

27 Mar 2023

Analyzing microscopic chalk disks coccoliths formed by the marine algae

Under the guidance of Rutgers University, a research group learning about virus-host interactions of worldwide abundant and armor-plated marine algae, Emiliania huxleyi, has discovered that the circular and chalk plates produced by the algae have the potential to serve as catalysts for viral infection.

From Rutgers University 7 Mar 2023

Study reveals how chloroplast ATP synthase regulates ATP production in organisms

ATP, the compound essential for the functioning of photosynthetic organisms such as plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, is produced by an enzyme called "chloroplast ATP synthase" (CFoCF1).

22 Feb 2023

Chemosynthesis fuels ocean microbes in the darkest depths

A world first study reverses the idea that the bulk of life in the ocean is fuelled by photosynthesis via sunshine, revealing that many ocean microbes in fact get their energy from hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

7 Feb 2023

MSU research reveals why switchgrass stops photosynthesis in the middle of its growing season

Michigan State University researchers have solved a puzzle that could help switchgrass realize its full potential as a low-cost, sustainable biofuel crop and curb our dependence on fossil fuels.

31 Jan 2023

Researchers discover new type of pathogenic fungus that infects potatoes

RUDN University biologists have discovered a new type of pathogenic fungus that infects potatoes and leads to massive crop loss.

31 Jan 2023

Smallest known freshwater green algae, Medakamo hakoo, discovered

A new species of microalgae was discovered in water from a home aquarium. Scientists from the University of Tokyo noticed Medakamo hakoo while examining DNA samples taken from algae. Its DNA sequence did not match any previously known species.

30 Jan 2023

Study sheds new light on a lifestyle switch that occurs in marine bacteria

Scientists have detailed a lifestyle switch that occurs in marine bacteria, where they change from coexisting with algae hosts in a mutually beneficial interaction to suddenly killing them.

25 Jan 2023

Study suggests new strategies for controlling plant biochemistry

Plant biochemists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered a new level of regulation in the biochemical "machinery" that plants use to convert organic carbon derived from photosynthesis into a range of ring-shaped aromatic molecules.

12 Jan 2023

UCR researchers decode the secret language of photosynthesis

For decades, scientists have been stumped by the signals plants send themselves to initiate photosynthesis, the process of turning sunlight into sugars.

3 Jan 2023

Living “bio-solar cell” runs on photosynthesis

Plants can provide food, oxygen, and decor, but they are not commonly thought to be useful sources of electricity.

15 Dec 2022

Scientists identify the long-sought CO2 sensor in Arabidopsis plants

More than 50 years, ago researchers discovered that plants can sense carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations. As CO2 levels change, "breathing" pores in leaves called stomata open and close, thus controlling evaporation of water, photosynthesis and plant growth.

8 Dec 2022