South Africa: Water-Dwelling Organisms Show New Ways to Harvest Light for Solar Tech

analysis

Photosynthesis is a great source of inspiration for solar technology. By studying the minutiae of how plants convert light into useful forms of energy, scientists can better mimic nature's clever solutions for cleaner energy production.

More than half of our planet's photosynthetic energy conversion takes place in water. Diatoms, which are the equivalent of grass in the sea because of their great abundance and importance, are responsible for most of this water-based photosynthesis. Diatoms are single-celled organisms that can take on an incredible variety of shapes and sizes and are a very common form of phytoplankton, the organisms in the plankton community that produce their own food.

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