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.

Uncovering how cyanobacteria edit their genomes

Unique editing mechanisms in cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae, make them able to remove large sections of the genome to give cells the ability to fix nitrogen, when necessary.

7 Aug 2019

Climate change and increasing CO2 could decrease the availability of critical nutrients

One of the biggest challenges to reducing hunger and undernutrition around the world is to produce foods that provide not only enough calories but also make enough necessary nutrients widely available.

18 Jul 2019

New research uncovers how superbug evades the immune system to cause infection

New research led by the University of Sheffield has discovered how a hospital superbug evades the immune system to cause infection - paving the way for new treatments.

30 Apr 2019

Harmless purple bacteria can visualize aspects of tumor heterogeneity

Cancer presents an ongoing challenge for physicians, particularly in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. This is, amongst other things, due to tumor heterogeneity.

14 Mar 2019

Researchers develop method for rapidly measuring proteins' unique vibrations

In the cells of every living organism -- humans, birds, bees, roses and even bacteria -- proteins vibrate with microscopic motions that help them perform vital tasks ranging from cell repair to photosynthesis.

5 Mar 2019

Chloroplast retrograde signaling attenuates elongation response to shade in plants

Plants need sunlight to feed and grow. Without light, the photosynthesis, the reaction by which the plant chloroplasts convert atmospheric CO2 and water into sugars and oxygen, cannot take place.

6 Feb 2019

Researchers describe new behavior in energy metabolism that refutes existing evidence

Researchers from the Catalonian Institute of Bioengineering and the Seville Chemical Research Institute have described a new method for the transmission of electrons between proteins that refutes the evidence from experiments until now.

17 Jan 2019

Scientists fix flawed plant genes, make plants grow 40% larger

Researchers in the US have genetically engineered a way of shortcutting photosynthesis to increase the size of tobacco plants by up to 40%.

4 Jan 2019

Peptide isolated from spirulina extract may counteract arterial hypertension

Spirulina is more and more celebrated as a "superfood" because of its possible beneficial properties, albeit its mechanism of action is still subjected to investigation. With the scientific name of Arthrospira platensis, spirulina is a cyanobacterium, a bacterium capable of photosynthesis. Sometimes classified as a "blue algae", it was supposedly used as a food by the Aztecs.

31 Dec 2018

Researchers report novel findings on plant hormone

Jasmonic acid is not just the aromatic odor of the plant Jasminum grandiflorum used in cosmetics and perfume industries. Plants wounded by e.g. chewing herbivores produce jasmonic acid as a defense signal, as a phytohormone to mount their defense responses - this includes for example the formation of toxic substances.

10 Dec 2018

Drought-resistant native shrub can irrigate food crops, study finds

The trick to boosting crops in drought-prone, food-insecure areas of West Africa could be a ubiquitous native shrub that persists in the toughest of growing conditions.

3 Nov 2018

Study provides a new way of thinking about cold stress in plants

When temperatures drop, plants can't bundle up. Stuck outside, exposed, plants instead undergo a series of biochemical changes that protect cells from damage.

29 Oct 2018

Cutting-edge material can regulate its own temperature

A cutting-edge material, inspired by nature, that can regulate its own temperature and could equally be used to treat burns and help space capsules withstand atmospheric forces is under development at the University of Nottingham.

26 Oct 2018

CLARIOstar used for fluorescence measurements on CSIRO's purpose-built research vessel

Professor Peter Karuso, from the Department of Molecular Sciences at Macquarie University, recently set sail on the CSIRO's purpose-built research vessel, the RV Investigator, on a 31 day voyage that covered over 2,600 nautical miles off the Western Australian coast.

From BMG LABTECH GmbH 19 Oct 2018

DFG establishes nine new Research Units

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft is establishing nine new Research Units, following a decision by the Senate and the Joint Committee in Bonn.

25 Sep 2018

Researchers develop machine learning method to predict unknown gene functions of microbes

An international team led by computational biologist Fran Supek at IRB Barcelona develop a machine learning method to predict unknown gene functions of microbes.

17 Jul 2018

Bacteria-powered solar cell can produce energy even when skies are overcast

Researchers have developed a sustainable biogenic solar cell, which uses bacteria to convert light into energy and has generated the strongest current ever.

9 Jul 2018

ANU research could help find life in Mars and other planets

Scientists at The Australian National University have contributed to an international study that will potentially help humans to colonize Mars and find life on other planets.

18 Jun 2018

Jena researchers unravel secrets of chemical language between algae and bacteria

It is a gruesome spectacle that meets the eyes of Prasad Aiyar as he looks down the microscope. The doctoral candidate from India, who came to Jena to do his Master's degree in Molecular Life Sciences, examines the species Chlamydomonas reinhardtii on a microscope slide.

28 Nov 2017

Specially tailored, ultrafast light pulses can trigger neurons to fire in different patterns

Specially tailored, ultrafast pulses of light can trigger neurons to fire and could one day help patients with light-sensitive circadian or mood problems, according to a new study in mice at the University of Illinois.

17 Nov 2017