Researchers at the Imperial College London have recently developed a system to create a photosynthesis movie, capturing the natural process by which plants convert the Sun's light into usable energy. Through the use of ultra-rapid laser pulsing, the scientists were able to piece together images of the lighting-fast Photosystem II enzyme reaction.
While scientists have known about the broad strokes of photosynthesis for a long time, the minute details of the photosynthetic process have remained something of a mystery. This is because certain aspects of photosynthesis happen at incredibly fast rates -- on the scale of picoseconds (i.e. trillionths of a second.) By using precisely timed lasers, the Imperial College researchers were able to capture a photosynthesis movie in real time.
The findings will be used to make artificial photosynthesis, the process used in solar panels, more efficient in the future.
Informative Photosynthesis Movies
Imperial College London Made a Photosynthesis Movie Using Lasers
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