A New Type of Photosynthesis Is Discovered

(Algae Industry Magazine) Hayley Dunning writes from the Imperial College of London that a new discovery has changed our understanding of the basic mechanism of photosynthesis and should rewrite the textbooks. It will also tailor the way we hunt for alien life and provide insights into how we could engineer more efficient crops that take advantage of longer wavelengths of light.

The vast majority of life on Earth uses visible red light in the process of photosynthesis, but the new type, published in the current Science, uses near-infrared light instead. It was detected in a wide range of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) when they grow in near-infrared light, found in shaded conditions like bacterial mats in Yellowstone and in beach rock in Australia.

“Finding a type of photosynthesis that works beyond the red limit changes our understanding of the energy requirements of photosynthesis,” said co-author Dr. Andrea Fantuzzi, from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial. “This provides insights into light energy use and into mechanisms that protect the systems against damage by light.”

These insights could be useful for researchers trying to engineer crops to perform more efficient photosynthesis by using a wider range of light. How these cyanobacteria protect themselves from damage caused by variations in the brightness of light could help researchers discover what is feasible to engineer into crop plants.

The discovery was initiated by Dr. Dennis Nürnberg at Imperial College London, and supported by the BBSRC, and involved groups from the ANU in Canberra, the CNRS in Paris and Saclay and the CNR in Milan. READ MORE / MORE