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.

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

Researchers discover mechanism that corrects protein misfolding in plants

Various human nervous system diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and Parkinson's diseases, are associated with the same basic disorder: the loss of nerve cells capacity to fold their proteins correctly, which causes protein aggregations that form "clumps" that end up generating the cell death.

25 Oct 2017

New study sheds light on how dance moves matter in biological courtship

At every moment inside the human body, a carefully choreographed dance is being performed.

15 Mar 2017

ASU-led engineers develop new DNA switch to control flow of electrons within atomic-sized molecule

DNA, the stuff of life, may very well also pack quite the jolt for engineers trying to advance the development of tiny, low-cost electronic devices.

20 Feb 2017

Researchers discover sulfide-responsive protein that regulates photosynthesis in purple bacteria

Recent evidence demonstrates that the origins of photosynthesis can be found in deep sea hydrothermal vents, where microbes evolved to obtain energy from ejected hydrogen sulfide and methane gases.

15 Feb 2017

Study shows how global climate changes can affect exposure of methylmercury to ecosystems, humans

Global warming is expected to increase runoff and input of organic matter to aquatic ecosystems in large regions of the Northern hemisphere including the Baltic Sea.

29 Jan 2017

Light treatment can help increase anthocyanin production in turfgrasses

Anthocyanins, plant pigments known for their health-promoting properties, are in demand for medicinal and industrial uses. Anthocyanins have become sought-after natural products, but the small number of plants that naturally produce anthocyanins has limited their widespread use.

28 Dec 2016

Leaf-shaped prototype reactor could act as 'mini-factory' for drugs

To produce drugs sustainably and cheaply, anywhere you want. Whether in the middle of the jungle or even on Mars. A 'mini-factory' whereby sunlight can be captured to make chemical products.

21 Dec 2016

Researcher develops new method to accurately identify elusive molecules

Among the most important molecules in the living world are sugars or carbohydrates, which play a vital role in life processes. Sugars provide the main source of fuel for the body, protect muscles from damage and contribute to the immune response.

21 Dec 2016

Scientists find how selenium gets integrated into protein molecules

Humans need eight essential trace elements for good health, and one of them is selenium - a powerful antioxidant that is important for thyroid and brain function as well as metabolism.

6 Oct 2016

Scientists explore geochemical conditions that may have led to first relevant organophosphates

The phosphate ion is almost insoluble and is one of the most inactive of Earth's most abundant phosphate minerals. So how could phosphate have originally been incorporated into ribonucleotides, the building blocks of RNA, which are considered to be among the earliest constituents of life? American and Spanish scientists have now identified reasonable conditions to mobilize phosphate from insoluble apatite minerals for prebiotic organophosphate synthesis, including ribonucleotides.

24 Aug 2016

Spinach-like nanoparticle juice may improve doctor's ability to examine gastrointestinal tract

The pigment that gives spinach and other plants their verdant color may improve doctors' ability to examine the human gastrointestinal tract.

12 Jul 2016

Study reveals distribution of toxic arsenic in cell nuclei of plants

Toxic arsenic initially accumulates in the nuclei of plants' cells. This has been revealed by an X-ray examination of the aquatic plant rigid hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) using DESY's X-ray source PETRA III.

25 Jun 2016

German scientists analyse LOV proteins using neutron scattering

The internal movements of proteins can be important for their functionality; researchers are discovering more and more examples of this. Now, with the aid of neutron spectroscopy, dynamic processes have also been detected in so-called "LOV photoreceptors" by scientists from Jülich, Aachen, Dusseldorf and Garching near Munich.

24 Mar 2016

Bacteriophage therapy: an alternative to antibiotics? An interview Professor Clokie

A phage is a virus that infects a bacterium. People often get very confused about what the difference is between a virus and a bacterium. A virus, like a bacterium, is also a microorganism, but unlike bacteria, it needs to have a host to be able to replicate and propagate.

2 Dec 2015

New ASU-POSTECH collaboration aims to discover biological molecules for health care, renewable energy research

The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University and Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, South Korea, have announced a partnership that will catalyze discoveries with a major impact on health care and clean energy applications.

24 Aug 2015

New chemical reaction breaks strongest bond in molecules instead of weakest

Researchers at Princeton have developed a new chemical reaction that breaks the strongest bond in a molecule instead of the weakest, completely reversing the norm for reactions in which bonds are evenly split to form reactive intermediates.

30 Jul 2015

UW researchers identify how plants arrange cellular structures on their surface

In the age of tablet computers and smart phones, it's easy to feel inundated and overloaded by information. But on a cellular level, this bombardment is business as usual, and a team of University of Washington researchers has identified a mechanism that some plant cells use to receive complex and contradictory messages from their neighbors.

19 Jun 2015

Rising levels of carbon dioxide affect plants' absorption of nitrogen

The rapidly rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere affect plants' absorption of nitrogen, which is the nutrient that restricts crop growth in most terrestrial ecosystems. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have now revealed that the concentration of nitrogen in plants' tissue is lower in air with high levels of carbon dioxide, regardless of whether or not the plants' growth is stimulated.

15 Jun 2015

Dartmouth research opens way for industrial applications of nanotechnology

Dartmouth researchers have found a solution using visible light to reduce waste produced in chemically activated molecular switches, opening the way for industrial applications of nanotechnology ranging from anti-cancer drug delivery to LCD displays and molecular motors.

16 Dec 2014