Orange is the new 'block': Structure reveals key features that help block excess light absorption during photosynthesis
Photosynthetic organisms tap light for fuel, but sometimes there's too much of a good thing.
Photosynthetic organisms tap light for fuel, but sometimes there's too much of a good thing.
Molecular & Computational biology
Jan 6, 2021
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258
(Phys.org)—In the pursuit of greater carotenoid bioavailability to ensure human health, researchers have sought other animal models of carotenoid function. Recently, a collaborative of biologists in Spain and Costa Rica ...
Pigments found in plants and purple bacteria employed to provide protection from sun damage do more than just that. Researchers from the University of Toronto and University of Glasgow have found that they also help to harvest ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 4, 2013
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(Phys.org) -- In plants, algae and some types of bacteria and fungi, sunlight is converted to chemical energy in a process we all know as photosynthesis; in that process water and carbon dioxide are also converted to oxygen. ...
We often look to the smallest lifeforms for help solving the biggest problems: Microbes help make foods and beverages, cure diseases, treat waste and even clean up pollution. Yeast and bacteria can also convert plant sugars ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 20, 2023
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203
Scientists at the Children's Nutrition Research Center of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) helped develop healthier sorghum varieties containing significant concentrations of provitamin A carotenoids while also ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 31, 2023
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43
The pink-throated brilliant hummingbird, Heliodoxa gularis, has, unsurprisingly, a brilliant pink throat. So does its cousin, the rufous-webbed brilliant hummingbird, Heliodoxa branickii. When scientists found a Heliodoxa ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 28, 2023
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60
Carrots come in a rainbow of bright colors—red, orange, yellow and purplish black—because of compounds called carotenoids. They help support eye health by reacting with potentially harmful UV light. Interestingly, the ...
Biochemistry
Feb 21, 2023
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85
We all like flowers, and one of the most appealing things about flowers is presumably the wide array of shapes, sizes, and of course, colors in which they come. But did you know that some flowers can change their colors? ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 1, 2022
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110
Diatoms are microscopic unicellular algae occurring in natural waters worldwide. During photosynthesis, they take up large quantities of carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities, and convert ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 15, 2022
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101