Photosynthesis allows plants, algae and certain bacteria to turn sunlight into chemical energy. The amazing feat is achieved because sunlight can fuel a reaction between water and carbon dioxide that, in turn, produces carbohydrates (simple sugars) and oxygen. Here is the latest news on photosynthesis, including the oldest evidence of it on Earth and how blocking photosynthesis on a large scale can affect food chains.
Latest about photosynthesis
Mangrove leaf slug: The solar-powered mollusk that gobbles up sunlight then goes months without eating
This frilly slug lives in the mangroves of southeastern Asia and Australia, lounging in shallow pools of water and scraping up algae from which it gains the ability to photosynthesize.
Watch the world choke on CO2 in eerie NASA videos of manmade emissions
The animations highlight emissions from different human and natural sources, with the main contribution coming from the burning of fossil fuels.
Scientists have finally discovered how photosynthesis starts — by setting it off with a single photon
For the first time, researchers have observed how just one particle of light can trigger photosynthesis in bacteria — finally revealing the first step of the crucial process.
Scientists accidentally discover photosynthesis doesn't work exactly like we thought it did
Researchers have serendipitously discovered that a key step in photosynthesis can occur much earlier in the process than previously believed.
Logic-defying 'bottom blooms' could sustain hidden ecosystems in Arctic and Antarctica
A pair of new studies has revealed 'highly unlikely' phytoplankton blooms appearing near the seafloor and under sea ice at both Earth's poles.
New 'artificial' photosynthesis is 10x more efficient than previous attempts
A new method of using the machinery of photosynthesis to make methane is 10 times more efficient than previous attempts.
3.5 billion-year-old rock structures are one of the oldest signs of life on Earth
Fossils called stromatolites from Western Australia were created by microbes 3.48 billion years ago.
What is photosynthesis?
Reference Photosynthesis is the process plants, algae and some bacteria use to turn sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen.
