Photosynthesis, key to life on Earth, starts with a single photon A cutting-edge experiment has revealed the quantum dynamics of one of nature's most crucial processes ...

But only now, with the help of quantum physics, have researchers been able to watch a single packet of light begin the process in an experiment described on June 14 in the journal Nature.

Carbon dioxide is used in photosynthesis, but plants and other natural processes can absorb only about half of the CO2 emitted yearly. The excess CO2 contributes to global warming. Plants absorb ...

“Typically, in these types of CO2 conversions, you need to bind CO2 to a metal center on the catalyst,” said Javier Concepcion, who leads Brookhaven’s Artificial Photosynthesis group.

CO2 has been shown to increase plant growth, experts said, but this growth has a limit. Adverse effects from excess CO2, like global warming, ultimately hurt plants more than help them.

Photosynthesis is a vital part of life on Earth, ... The team performed these measurements 230,000 times. “We started this experiment 15 years ago,” Dau says.

Global warming could push tropical forests to a point where photosynthesis fails and trees die ... But even as these critical ecosystems work with Earth’s oceans to help scrub CO2 from the ...