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.
For centuries, scientists have known that plants "breathe" through microscopic pores on their leaves called stomata. These tiny valves are the gatekeepers that balance the intake of carbon dioxide into the leaf for photosynthesis ...
Biotechnology
Jan 6, 2026
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There are "costs of life" that mechanical physics cannot calculate. A clear example is the energy required to keep specific biochemical processes active—such as those that make up photosynthesis, although the examples are ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 6, 2026
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85
The basics of photosynthesis are something that every student learns in school: carbon dioxide, water and light in; oxygen and sugar for growth out. In a world where atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are rising, it is plausible ...
Environment
Dec 22, 2025
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127
A plant's success may depend on how well the three sets of genetic instructions it carries in its cells cooperate, according to a new study led by plant scientists at Penn State. In an analysis of the hybrids of two crossbred ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 17, 2025
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33
As children, we're taught that the functions of a leaf are photosynthesis (turning sunlight into chemical energy) and storing water. This is generally true, including for the lettuce leaves we eat.
Molecular & Computational biology
Dec 17, 2025
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Corals obtain energy in two ways: firstly, through photosynthesis by their symbiotic algae, and secondly by taking up small food particles such as plankton directly from the water. In scientific terms, this process is known ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 15, 2025
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36
The energy that plants capture from sunlight through photosynthesis provides the source of nearly all of humanity's food. Yet the process of photosynthesis has inefficiencies that limit crop productivity, especially in a ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Dec 11, 2025
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44
In an interesting turn of botanical events, University of Houston engineers report that while melatonin keeps us asleep, it wakes up plants, helping them grow.
Molecular & Computational biology
Dec 9, 2025
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26
For decades, boosting photosynthesis in crops has been viewed as a scientific holy grail. Yet photosynthesis does not operate in isolation: it is tightly interwoven with environmental factors—light, CO₂, soil nitrogen, and ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 8, 2025
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14
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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