Photosynthesis is the set of light-driven biochemical processes by which phototrophic organisms convert electromagnetic energy into chemical energy, primarily storing it in carbohydrates synthesized from inorganic carbon. In oxygenic photosynthesis, chlorophyll-based reaction centers (photosystems I and II) located in thylakoid membranes couple photon absorption to charge separation, driving linear electron transport from water to NADP⁺, generating O₂, NADPH, and a proton motive force used for ATP synthesis via photophosphorylation. The resulting ATP and NADPH fuel the Calvin–Benson–Bassham cycle, which fixes CO₂ into organic molecules, integrating tightly regulated metabolic, redox, and signaling networks that respond to cellular and environmental conditions.
Iron (Fe) is an essential micronutrient for the healthy growth of plants, including many staple crops like rice. Its deficiency remains a common agricultural problem that slashes crop yields, as it leads to impaired photosynthesis, ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Dec 3, 2025
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Imagine biting into a crisp, garden-fresh salad and savoring juicy strawberries for dessert. But instead of your backyard, you're gazing out at a stark lunar landscape, Earth hanging like a precious blue marble in the inky ...
Space Exploration
Nov 26, 2025
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Carnivorous plants of the genus Pinguicula (butterworts) from Mexico apparently use the same water-saving photosynthesis type as many succulent plants, such as cacti. Botanists from the SNSB and LMU Munich have now demonstrated ...
Ecology
Nov 11, 2025
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Chloroplasts—the "light power plants" of plant cells—are increasingly the focus of synthetic biology. These organelles house the photosynthetic apparatus and host several metabolic pathways that are of great interest for ...
Biotechnology
Nov 3, 2025
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Every year, abiotic stress factors such as drought, heat, salinity or high light intensity—combined with unfavorable soil conditions caused by human activity (herbicides, pH changes, or various contaminants such as microplastics)—and ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 30, 2025
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Australian researchers have created tiny compartments to help supercharge photosynthesis, potentially boosting wheat and rice yields while slashing water and nitrogen use.
Biotechnology
Oct 30, 2025
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110
Optimal packing problems have inspired mathematicians for centuries. Biophysicists now add a layer to the question: How do chloroplasts arrange themselves optimally within cells, when the meaning of "optimal" changes over ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 23, 2025
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Just as the human body contains a multitude of symbiotic microbial companions, most plant species also live alongside microbial friends. Among these companions are mycorrhizal fungi, which help plants gather water and nutrients—particularly ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 22, 2025
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84
Too much sun can ruin photosynthesis, scorching plants and other organisms that depend on capturing sunlight for energy. Beneath the waves, though, algae have found a clever shield.
Ecology
Oct 22, 2025
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38
A new study has revealed how phosphorus, a nutrient essential for photosynthesis, surged into ancient oceans and started Earth's first major rise in atmospheric oxygen more than 2 billion years ago.
Astrobiology
Oct 20, 2025
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