Credit: Sergey Dyakov et al./Optica Skoltech researchers and their colleagues have uncovered an intricate light manipulation ...

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 ...

“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.

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.

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.

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 ...