Photosynthesis
![Photosynthesis](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dVgZspizizkW2ipRLtoTt3-320-80.jpg)
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
![close up of an avocado leaf with a stem running diagonally from left to right](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SoJj2vUsPUsbLpW4FKRmVb-320-80.jpg)
What is photosynthesis?
By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated
Reference Photosynthesis is the process plants, algae and some bacteria use to turn sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen.
![The sun shines brightly under a forest canopy that highlights the many leaves and plants underneath.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2C7kLABzCrkAr4oT8zc96X-320-80.jpg)
Fossils locked away for 1.75 billion years hold clues about key moment in Earth's history
By Jacklin Kwan published
Fossils from Australia provide the first direct evidence that photosynthesis was happening at least 1.75 billion years ago.
![Profile, top and bottom view of a mangrove leaf slug against a black background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/22srwnEdwqaPWVTn864eAV-320-80.jpg)
Mangrove leaf slug: The solar-powered mollusk that gobbles up sunlight then goes months without eating
By Sascha Pare published
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.
![A screenshot from a NASA video shows CO2 emissions across North and South America in 2021.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hmK7kuGhPzTQfnvNKJuptY-320-80.png)
Watch the world choke on CO2 in eerie NASA videos of manmade emissions
By Sascha Pare published
The animations highlight emissions from different human and natural sources, with the main contribution coming from the burning of fossil fuels.
![An illustration of a glowing breen orb (a photon) falling toward the leafy forest floor to start photosynthesis](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PhCT4GFB2iodKtHJs86ZhD-320-80.jpg)
Scientists have finally discovered how photosynthesis starts — by setting it off with a single photon
By Joanna Thompson published
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.
![Sunlight shining through the top of a ring of trees.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PbBoGK7YbNEbRheWgw9eVg-320-80.jpg)
Scientists accidentally discover photosynthesis doesn't work exactly like we thought it did
By Harry Baker published
Researchers have serendipitously discovered that a key step in photosynthesis can occur much earlier in the process than previously believed.
![A surface phytoplankton bloom in the Ross Sea in Antarctica captured by NASA's Aqua satellite on Jan. 11 2011. New research suggests blooms like this may also exist further beneath the surface in both of Earth's polar regions.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xvR8cDsBnXszwEBeD9NoD3-320-80.jpg)
Logic-defying 'bottom blooms' could sustain hidden ecosystems in Arctic and Antarctica
By Harry Baker published
A pair of new studies has revealed 'highly unlikely' phytoplankton blooms appearing near the seafloor and under sea ice at both Earth's poles.
![closeup of green chloroplast](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4YZ3T2qECfjdrnan9oWHf5-320-80.jpg)
New 'artificial' photosynthesis is 10x more efficient than previous attempts
By Stephanie Pappas published
A new method of using the machinery of photosynthesis to make methane is 10 times more efficient than previous attempts.
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