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.
Unlike humans, plants cannot make simple lifestyle adjustments to adapt to changing environments. When exposed to conditions like extreme heat or water scarcity, instead of putting on sweaters or turning on air conditioners, ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 30, 2026
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Drylands soils are being degraded by human activities and climate change, threatening the thin living layers covering their surface, called biocrusts, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Composed of cyanobacteria, lichens, ...
Ecology
Jul 30, 2026
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What happens inside a citrus tree long before leaves turn yellow, roots decline, and fruit quality suffers? Researchers from the University of Florida Citrus Research and Education Center—Diann S. Achor, Camila Ribeiro, Jinyun ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 27, 2026
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A simple, low-dose leaf spray could give farmers a practical new tool to keep growing tomatoes on land that salt has rendered increasingly unproductive, according to a study led by a researcher at The University of Texas ...
Biotechnology
Jul 27, 2026
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LMU researchers demonstrate that oxygenic photosynthesis can occur with only a single photosystem, overturning a fundamental principle of biology.
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 15, 2026
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Plants do not wait hours to respond to intense sunlight—they react within minutes. Researchers at Bielefeld University and the Australian National University have discovered a new signaling pathway that enables plants to ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 14, 2026
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The Amazon rainforest is one of the largest carbon reservoirs on Earth. It is also the world's largest source of biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These carbon-based gases are naturally released by vegetation. They ...
Environment
Jul 9, 2026
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High above the rainforest floor, tiny ponds form in the leaves of plants perched on tree branches. Frogs breed in these ponds, alongside insects, microbes and even tiny crustaceans, creating miniature ecosystems suspended ...
Evolution
Jul 9, 2026
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Forests are shaped by light competition. The trees that grow the tallest have access to the most sunlight, blocking the rays and rendering the shaded space around them inhospitable to shorter trees below. In this stem exclusion ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 8, 2026
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In a major step toward enhancing food security and exploring the potential to bring rice farming back to Hawaiʻi, an international research team has successfully cultivated premium Japanese rice varieties on Kauaʻi using ...
Agriculture
Jul 6, 2026
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