Just as brakes are essential to a car whizzing down a highway, plants rely on special proteins to maintain high rates of photosynthesis without crashing. The big picture is this. Photosynthesis is…
Photosynthesis is the process that powers life on earth. Photosynthetic organisms capture energy from sunlight, which they use to tear carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide. The carbon ends…
The Benning lab has identified a rhomboid-like protein that may help plant chloroplasts tune their lipid production. The study is published in The Plant Journal. Lipids are molecules…
Unlike animals, plants can’t run away when things get bad. That can be the weather changing or a caterpillar starting to slowly munch on a leaf. Instead, they…
Michigan State University scientists have discovered a significant role that a particular protein complex plays in the process of photosynthesis, potentially changing how scientists study the process entirely….
For all their convenience, plastics are massive environmental headaches. “The main problem is that most synthetic plastic is not completely biodegradable. It cannot be broken down by living…
We are inching closer to the day where we can use light to help cure diseases. The key is harnessing the power of proteins that are sensitive to light. The Kerfeld…
For more than 15 years, Atsuko Kanazawa and her colleagues at the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory (PRL) have been working to improve the efficiency of photosynthesis – the process…
Research is showing that the speed at which plants adjust to changes in their surroundings is vital to their health. But a major problem for scientists has been…
Michigan State University plant researcher David Kramer has his sights set on making a measurable impact on food security and renewable energy for the future. He and his…
Research at Michigan State University