Lab-made complexes are 'sun sponges'

In diagrams it looks like a confection of self-curling ribbon with bits of bling hung off the ribbon here and there. In fact it is a carefully designed ring of proteins with attached pigments that self-assembles into a structure ...

Purple bacteria on earth could survive alien light

Purple bacteria contain pigments that allow them to use sunlight as their source of energy, hence their color. Small as they are, these microbes can teach us a lot about life on Earth, because they have been around longer ...

Researchers recreate photosynthesis to power devices

Nature has perfected the art of using the Sun to fuel growth. A team of international researchers looked into what is needed to recreate the process artificially. The results could have various uses, from an alternative to ...

Team provides new insight into photosynthesis

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 ...

Foundational concept of ecology tested by experiment

An elementary school science activity asks children who have each been assigned a wetland plant or animal to connect themselves with string and tape to other "organisms" their assigned plant or animal interacts with in some ...

The power of purple

Kansas State University isn't the only place where the color purple rules. In the plant world, many plants are defined by their purple color.

Pliable proteins keep photosynthesis on the light path

Photosynthesis is a remarkable biological process that supports life on earth. Plants and photosynthetic microbes do so by harvesting light to produce their food, and in the process, also provide vital oxygen for animals ...

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