Discoveries

April 10, 2023

Hacking Nature

Listen to Today's Edition

Photosynthesis seems pretty simple at first glance: Plants use water, sunlight and carbon dioxide to create their own food as well as oxygen.

But the process is actually so complicated that scientists have spent centuries studying the specifics of what exactly happens inside the plants, according to Popular Magazine.

Now, researchers have gained additional insight into photosynthesis by observing it at superspeed timescales.

For their study, they fired up laser pulses at live plant cells that allowed them to see electrons move through the whole photosynthetic process.

This method illuminated a previously undiscovered pathway of energy flow at the start of photosynthesis, which could allow for more effective charge extraction.

The findings add more insight into how plants produce their own fuel but also could be exploited to harness more of the incredible efficiency of photosynthesis in transforming sunlight into energy.

The authors explained that “hacking” this process could help boost plants in absorbing and storing carbon dioxide to help fight climate change in the process, CNET noted.

They added that it could also be used to generate more efficient processes for creating biofuels.

“What makes photosynthesis really special is its near 100 percent efficiency in converting light to electrons,” lead author Tomi Baikie told CNET. “By (…) understanding the mechanisms of photosynthesis, we can use this knowledge (…) to improve existing solar cell technology.”

This story originally appeared in the April 10, 2023 newsletter, The Cheerleaders.