{"id":22847,"date":"2023-05-04T04:40:05","date_gmt":"2023-05-04T04:40:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/f19c3147-be39-47cf-b63c-b180cebb1dc612"},"modified":"2023-05-04T04:40:05","modified_gmt":"2023-05-04T04:40:05","slug":"scientists-observe-elusive-missing-step-in-photosynthesis-final-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.worldtechguide.net\/scientists-observe-elusive-missing-step-in-photosynthesis-final-stage\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists observe elusive missing step in photosynthesis\u2019 final stage"},"content":{"rendered":"
Researchers at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (along with collaborators in Sweden, Germany and the UK) have shed new light<\/span> on the final step of photosynthesis. They observed in atomic detail how Photosystem II, a protein complex found in plants, undergoes a transformation that leads to the loss of an extra oxygen atom. Scientists believe the discoveries will help provide a roadmap for optimizing clean energy sources. \u201cIt\u2019s really going to change the way we think about Photosystem II,\u201d said Uwe Bergmann, scientist and professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who co-authored the paper.<\/p>\n Researchers took \u201cextremely high-resolution images\u201d of different stages of the process (at room temperature), giving them new insight into specifically how and where the oxygen is produced. Baseball can provide a simple (if somewhat forced) metaphor to illustrate the process. \u201cThe center cycles through four stable oxidation states, known as S0 through S3, when exposed to sunlight,\u201d SLAC explains. \u201cOn a baseball field, S0 would be the start of the game when a player on home base is ready to go to bat. S1-S3 would be players on first, second, and third.\u201d Based on this metaphor, a batter making contact to advance the runners signifies the complex absorbing a sunlight photon. \u201cWhen the fourth ball is hit, the player slides into home, scoring a run or, in the case of Photosystem II, releasing one molecule of breathable oxygen.\u201d It\u2019s that final stage (S4, between third base and sliding home in our metaphor) that they imaged for the first time, where two oxygen atoms bond to release an oxygen molecule, revealing additional steps previously unseen.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n The video below illustrates the team\u2019s process and discoveries.<\/p>\n