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.

Deforestation in the Amazon increases diversity of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

In Brazil, a study conducted by researchers affiliated with the University of São Paulo (USP) and collaborators showed that deforestation in the Amazon causes an increase in the diversity of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

12 Mar 2021

A short-cut in photosynthetic machinery can allow needles of pine trees to stay green

How can conifers that are used for example as Christmas trees keep their green needles over the boreal winter when most trees shed their leaves?

24 Dec 2020

Rice biochemist discovers hidden structure in essential metabolic machinery

In his first year of graduate school, Rice University biochemist Zachary Wright discovered something hidden inside a common piece of cellular machinery that's essential for all higher order life from yeast to humans.

5 Dec 2020

Mystery behind an enigmatic organelle solved

Carbon is one of the main building blocks for life on Earth. It's abundant in our planet's atmosphere, where it's found in the form of carbon dioxide.

25 Nov 2020

Scientists reveal how genetically modified organisms can help mitigate climate change

Fighting the imminent climate change crisis has now become a global priority. In this regard, scientists in the US have discussed how gene editing technology can modify plants and organisms to reduce atmospheric CO2 and slow down climate change.

17 Nov 2020

Sterile spikelets improve yield in sorghum and related grasses, shows study

Much of the food we eat comes from grasses such as rice, wheat, corn, sorghum, and sugarcane. These crops still resemble the wild species from which they were derived. In all grasses the structures that contain the flowers and seeds are called spikelets.

5 Nov 2020

Researchers identify gene related to seed dispersal in green millet

For years, Elizabeth (Toby) Kellogg, PhD, member and Robert E. King Distinguished Investigator and other researchers at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (Danforth Center) drove up and down the highways of the continental United States, occasionally pulling over to the side of the road to collect small weedy plants and bring them back to the lab.

6 Oct 2020

Study shows how plants operate on a molecular level

New research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine reveals how plants create the load-bearing structures that let them grow - much like how building crews frame a house.

10 Jul 2020

Ocean acidification also influences human health and well-being, shows study

While ocean acidification was initially perceived as a threat only to the marine realm, the authors of a new publication argue that it is also an emerging human health issue.

9 Jul 2020

Researchers identify genes that determine the optimal time of flowering

How do plants know when it is time to flower? Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have studied this question and identified two genes that are key to this process.

23 Jun 2020

Study: Bioelectrical view can provide biological understanding of cellular processes

We use cells to breathe, to moderate body temperature, to grow and many other every day processes, however the cells in these processes are so complex its left scientists perplexed into how they develop in different environments.

20 May 2020

Scientists produce corals with increased heat tolerance to reduce reef bleaching

A team of scientists has successfully produced in a laboratory setting a coral that is more resistant to increased seawater temperatures.

15 May 2020

Study highlights a new way to increase crop production

During the past few weeks, empty supermarket shelves, without pasta, rice and flour due to panic buying, has caused public concerns about the possibility of running out of food.

24 Apr 2020

Study: Some flowers have a remarkable, previously unknown ability to bounce back after injury

Some flowers have a remarkable and previously unknown ability to bounce back after injury, according to a new study

8 Apr 2020

New insights may guide design of light-sensitive proteins with desired properties

A team of scientists from the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University has gained insight into how electric fields affect the way energy from light drives molecular motion and transformation in a protein commonly used in biological imaging.

13 Feb 2020

Study uncovers large, giant viruses that belong to NCLDV supergroup

While the microbes in a single drop of water could outnumber a small city's population, the number of viruses in the same drop-;the vast majority not harmful to humans could be even larger.

24 Jan 2020

New synthetic system can guide electron transfer over long distances

Electrons are tough to pin down in biology. Learning how to harness electrons is no fool's errand because, when electrons move, they are the electricity that powers life.

21 Jan 2020

Novel nanopipette pH biosensor could help with cancer diagnosis and treatment

Nanopipettes with zwitterionic membranes may offer improved monitoring of changes in pH surrounding living cells, which can indicate traits of invasive cancer cells and their response to treatment, report researchers at Kanazawa University in Nature Communications.

6 Dec 2019

'Flamenco-style' dancing molecule could form the basis for new longer-lasting sunscreen

A molecule that protects plants from overexposure to harmful sunlight thanks to its flamenco-style twist could form the basis for a new longer-lasting sunscreen, chemists at the University of Warwick have found, in collaboration with colleagues in France and Spain.

18 Oct 2019

Ground-breaking laser device gets $4.7 million boost from NSF

Deep within the subterranean confines of Building C--the latest addition to the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University--a pathbreaking machine is quietly taking shape. Designed to unlock some of nature's tiniest and most fleeting mysteries, the Compact X-ray Free Electron Laser (CXFEL) is the only instrument of its kind in the world.

18 Sep 2019