Tag

Photosynthesis

All articles tagged with #photosynthesis

science19 days ago•2 min saved

Sun-powered sea slug steals chloroplasts to photosynthesize

The leaf sheep, Costasiella kuroshimae, is a tiny tropical sea slug that uses kleptoplasty to steal intact chloroplasts from algae and power itself via photosynthesis, thanks to its green cerata that double as solar panels and camouflage. Described scientifically in 1993, it has become popular through macro photography and is a leading candidate for Invertebrate of the Year 2026, with readers praising its ingenuity and adorable appearance.

via The Guardian|

#costasiella-kuroshimae #kleptoplasty #leaf-sheep

science28 days ago•11 min saved

Phytoplankton: Earth's invisible oxygen factory rivaling forests

Phytoplankton in the sunlit ocean produce about half of Earth's oxygen via photosynthesis, but net atmospheric oxygen is the result of production minus respiration and decay; the ocean's microscopic, fast-renewing layer spans vast areas and can rival terrestrial forests in scale, with light, nutrients and water mixing governing where it happens. Satellites like NASA's PACE estimate productivity, but warming and nutrient pollution could reshape carbon cycling and marine ecosystems, underscoring the ocean as a giant, invisible engine linking sunlight, oxygen and food.

via Space Daily|

#carbon-cycle #ocean #oxygen

science1 month ago•218 min saved

Earth Could Host Life for Another 1.8 Billion Years, New Study Finds

New research suggests life on Earth could persist for roughly 1.8 billion more years as the Sun brightens and atmospheric CO2 falls. The study, based on 29 climate models, finds that plant life could endure longer if CAM photosynthesis remains prevalent, potentially up to about 1.84–1.87 billion years under certain weathering scenarios, while other plant types could end sooner (around 1.35–1.84 billion years). The timeline is tied to solar luminosity and the carbonate-silicate cycle, with life likely ending well before the Sun becomes a red giant due to ocean loss and extreme heat. The authors caution that these results assume current photosynthesis and call for more 3-D modeling to better constrain the timescales.

via AOL.com|

#biosphere #climate-models #habitat

science1 month ago•48 min saved

Plants Could Survive About 1.8 Billion More Years as the Sun Brightens

A new study using 29 climate models projects Earth’s plant life could persist for roughly 1.3–1.9 billion years as the Sun brightens and atmospheric CO2 declines, with CAM photosynthesis plants (like cacti and orchids) potentially lasting the longest. Under weak weathering CAM plants survive to about 1.87 billion years, under strong weathering about 1.35 billion years, and using CAM as a survivability threshold raises that to roughly 1.84–1.87 billion years. The end of Earth’s biosphere would coincide with the oceans being lost to space as the Sun brightens, while the Sun’s eventual Red Giant phase is ~5 billion years away. The authors note limitations (they only assessed current photosynthesis pathways) and call for broader 3-D modeling to better constrain these timescales.

via Yahoo|

#biosphere #climate-models #co2

climate-change1 month ago•17 min saved

Heat Halts Tree Growth in Summer, Clouding Forests’ Climate Role

A multinational study using point dendrometers and 75 years of data finds that many oaks stop producing woody biomass by mid-summer even as photosynthesis continues, meaning forests may absorb less CO2 than climate models assume. Eastern oaks absorbed 36% of their carbon without growth, California oaks 26%, suggesting a decoupling of growth from photosynthesis under hot, dry conditions. The results could prompt revisions to how forests are represented in climate projections and call for broader testing across species and ecosystems.

via Gizmodo|

#carbon-sequestration #climate-change #drought

science1 month ago•52 min saved

Earth Could Host Life For 1.8 Billion More Years Amid Sun's Brightening, Study Says

A study using 29 climate models suggests Earth's vegetative biosphere could persist about 1.8 billion years longer as the Sun brightens, delaying ocean loss and food-web collapse. The work highlights plant strategies that tolerate warming and lower CO2, implying the biosphere could adapt to future conditions, though exact evolutionary outcomes remain uncertain.

via Yahoo|

#biosphere #climate-models #life-on-earth

science2 months ago•11 min saved

Ocean Microbes Provide About Half of Earth’s Oxygen, With a Hidden Footnote

Phytoplankton in the sunlit ocean photosynthesize enough to supply about half of Earth's oxygen, with Prochlorococcus alone contributing up to a fifth; rainforests are not net producers since their oxygen output is offset by respiration and decay. Atmospheric oxygen is a long-term stock built over millions of years by buried carbon, not a daily plankton output. Satellites like NASA's PACE now help distinguish phytoplankton communities to refine these estimates and track ocean changes.

via Space Daily|

#ocean #oxygen #pace

science2 months ago•7 min saved

Earth’s extended life window: life could endure for nearly two billion more years as the Sun brightens

New 3D climate-models suggest Earth could support life for roughly 1.0–1.9 billion more years as the Sun brightens; strong weathering drives CO2 down and most land plants die, while weak weathering keeps CO2 higher and lets some plants survive longer. The results are more optimistic than earlier estimates and note geoengineering or evolution could further extend the window.

via Ars Technica|

#climate-modeling #co2-cycle #earth-future

environment2 months ago•2 min saved

Forests' carbon sink may be weaker than photosynthesis alone implies

A study across 137 sites in the US finds tree growth often stops before the growing season ends, meaning wood production—and long‑term carbon storage—can lag behind the apparent carbon uptake from photosynthesis. In eastern sites about 36% of yearly uptake occurs after growth has ceased, and about 26% in California. Dry, hot conditions sharply limit wood growth, suggesting models that link carbon uptake directly to photosynthesis may overestimate future forest carbon sequestration as climate change raises aridity. The researchers plan to test if this decoupling occurs in other species and regions.

via The Guardian|

#aridity #carbon-sinks #environment

science2 months ago•14 min saved

Paddles, Proteins, and the Dawn of Photosynthesis

Researchers study ancient cyanobacteria, especially Gloeobacteria such as Anthocerotibacter panamensis, to glimpse how oxygen-producing photosynthesis evolved. A. panamensis has a paddle-shaped antenna and lacks thylakoids, while its photosystem core remains highly conserved, suggesting core machinery persisted while light-harvesting structures diversified; finding more early-branching species could reveal whether oxygenic photosynthesis arose once or multiple times and which photosystem came first.

via Quanta Magazine|

#cyanobacteria #evolution #gloeobacteria

health2 months ago•58 min saved

Spinach-powered eye drops spark partial photosynthesis in mouse eyes

Researchers developed LEAF eye drops containing photosynthetic machinery from spinach. In mice with dry eye, the drops triggered light-driven reactions that reduced inflammation, increased tear production, and minimized corneal damage by producing NADPH, an antioxidant. The approach is promising but has only been tested in mice so far; human safety trials are planned and the drops are designed to remain transparent (no green eyes).

via Live Science|

#dry-eye-disease #eyes #health

science3 months ago•26 min saved

Spinach-Inspired Photosynthesis Targets Dry Eye in Eye Cells

Scientists at NUS bioengineered spinach-derived photosynthetic machinery to function in mammalian corneal cells via eye drops, using light to generate anti-inflammatory chemicals and combat oxidative stress in dry eye disease, a condition affecting about 1.5 billion people; the work, published in Cell, explores a novel, plant-based approach to treating dry eye by harnessing light-driven chemistry in eye tissues (still at early model stages).

via ZME Science|

#bioengineering #cornea #dry-eye-disease

science3 months ago•5 min saved

Spinach chloroplasts fuel light energy in mouse eyes

Researchers transplanted spinach chloroplasts into mouse eye cells, encapsulating them as LEAF nanoparticles that convert light into energy (ATP/NADPH) for several hours and reduce inflammation, a first step toward plant-to-animal organelle swaps with potential for dry-eye therapies.

via Nature|

#chloroplasts #cross-kingdom-transplant #leafs

science3 months ago•3 min saved

Decade-long breakthrough: first total synthesis of bacteriochlorophyll a achieved in lab

After nine years of work, a US team led by Jonathan Lindsey at NC State achieved the first total synthesis of bacteriochlorophyll a, a four-stereocentre macrocycle central to bacterial photosynthesis. The route uses an asymmetric Michael addition to set stereochemistry, a Knoevenagel condensation to join halves, followed by Nazarov cyclisation and electrophilic aromatic substitution to close the macrocycle with the correct configuration. Despite Covid-related supply challenges and the death of a team member in February 2025 slowing progress, the achievement provides access to a range of photosynthetic tetrapyrroles and could be adapted to other native pigments, with plans to streamline the process and improve yields.

via Chemistry World|

#bacteriochlorophyll-a #macrocycle #photosynthesis

science5 months ago•94 min saved

Earth Without the Sun: Darkness, Ice, and the Collapse of Life

If the Sun vanished, light would reach Earth for about eight more minutes, after which a rapid blackout would plunge the planet into darkness and an abrupt drop in temperature. Photosynthesis would cease, jeopardizing most surface life and food crops, while artificial light and underground refuges might sustain a fraction of humanity. The Moon would go dark, orbits could destabilize, and only hardy organisms like tardigrades and some chemosynthetic microbes might survive long term. Oceans could persist for years in the deepest regions, but the climate would continue to cool toward near‑absolute zero. In the far future the Sun itself will die and our oceans may vaporize as it expands, but the immediate catastrophe would be a swift descent into a dark, icy world.

via Live Science|

#climate #earth #extinction