The research pipelines being explored by the RIPE Project to improve photosynthesis

How MIT researchers have used genetic mutations to improve photosynthesis efficiency

Recognizing that RuBisCO—a protein that binds carbon dioxide to other compounds to produce the building blocks of organic molecules—often mistakenly binds oxygen, scientists performed directed evolution experiments to modify the geometry of a bacterial version of the protein to cause it to preferentially interact with carbon dioxide over oxygen.

Rubisco, the crucial enzyme powering photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is the crucial process by which plants absorb sunlight, take up water, and breathe in carbon dioxide, prompting chemical reactions that result in the byproducts sugar and oxygen. A key enzyme, rubisco, is responsible for it all, but it is inefficient. This video explores the key protein and reveals fascinating facts about oxygen and photosynthesis.

How scientists are improving on photosynthesis

Researchers increased yield in soy plants by making them better at photosynthesis, the process that powers life. The findings hold promise for feeding a warming world.

An explanation of the Calvin cycle, including why it needs to run six times to create glucose

Each run of this second phase of photosynthesis begins with a five-carbon molecule called RuBP, which gains an additional carbon atom when carbon dioxide (CO₂) is attached. Across six cycles, the six six-carbon molecules—36 carbon atoms in total—are processed into 12 three-carbon sugars, which can be used to generate glucose, and six RuBP molecules, enough for each cycle to restart.

Advances in agriculture are being powered by CRISPR to boost carbon capture

Researchers are using CRISPR to test thousands of plant gene edits, aiming to speed up breeding and maximize carbon retention in soil. By engineering drought tolerance, they also aim to increase crop yields and expand the environments where crops can grow.

The three categories of photosynthesis, which each help plants survive in different environments

In the vast majority of plants, C3 photosynthesis produces three-carbon intermediate molecules in the Calvin cycle within the cells of leaves. Plants in hot, dry climates use C4 photosynthesis across two types of cells to produce four-carbon molecules before the Calvin cycle. Plants in drought conditions use CAM to store carbon dioxide as an acid at night, minimizing water loss.

Explore the efficiency of photosynthesis under various conditions

In this simulation, users can track how the cellular concentrations of ATP, NADPH, glucose, and oxygen vary over time in response to changes in temperature, acidity, carbon dioxide concentration, and the properties of incoming light. Through multiple trials, users can identify the optimal conditions for photosynthetic reactions.

How artificial photosynthesis can help make plastics and fuels using sunlight

These systems link a molecular light absorber to a catalyst that can synthesize fuels—such as ethanol—and ethylene, a precursor to plastics, in a carbon-neutral manner. Because these byproducts have greater energy concentrations than the carbohydrates produced by photosynthetic organisms, research is ongoing to engineer the necessary catalysts.

How greenhouse gases and climate change impact the efficiency of photosynthesis

A review in the Journal of Experimental Botany found that higher temperatures reduce the efficiency of enzymes involved in photosynthesis and impair a plant's ability to control water loss and regulate carbon dioxide uptake. While increased carbon dioxide levels are understood to accelerate plant growth by boosting photosynthesis, researchers suggest these effects more than offset the potential gain.

Visualize the purpose of stomata in photosynthesis

These openings on the underside of leaves can be opened and closed by specialized guard cells to regulate the movement of carbon dioxide into and oxygen out of cells, thus impacting the rate of photosynthesis. At night, when the light-dependent reactions in photosynthesis are not possible, the stomata close to prevent the plant from losing water through transpiration.

A Death Valley shrub optimizes its cells' organelles to photosynthesize in extreme heat

Examining the cellular structure of the plant under heat, scientists observed the formation of novel, cup-shaped chloroplasts and mitochondrial relocation, which shifted the plant's optimal photosynthesis temperature to 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) as it tripled in mass over 10 days. Engineering these mechanisms in crops may help optimize them for hotter environments.

Scientists testing how climate change affects plants found, in a years-long simulation study, that poison ivy grew 70% faster with the resulting extra carbon dioxide.

Greenhouse gas removal consists of a series of techniques to capture and store GHGs

These include turning biomass into charcoal for storage in soil before it decays and releases carbon dioxide, crushing CO₂-absorbing rocks—increasing exposed surface area—and spreading them across land to accelerate GHG uptake, and restoring degraded peatlands, which can store twice the amount of carbon as the average forest.

Scientists testing how climate change affected plants found in a years-long simulation study that poison ivy grew 70% faster than it did without extra carbon dioxide

The experiments in the 1990s were designed to simulate potential 2050 conditions, using carefully controlled circular forest plots with gas pumped into them.

Imagining if humans could perform photosynthesis and how it would change our anatomy

Since chloroplasts reflect green light, becoming photosynthetic would give our skin a green appearance. Because photosynthesis has efficiencies of only 5% to 9%, and humans burn 2,000 Calories daily compared to about 200 burned by a tree, becoming photosynthetic would also require us to adopt a less active, sun-filled lifestyle.

Pineapple research helped scientists solve Los Angeles' smog mystery

In the 1950s, chemist Arie Haagen-Smit applied methods he'd used studying pineapple plant chemistry to smog-filled air—discovering that sunlight reacting with car exhaust produced photochemical smog from hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, not factory smoke.

Agrivoltaic solutions are tested in the land around the Biosphere 2 complex

The experiments involve identifying conditions needed to grow plants beneath solar panels, which protect the plants from the harsh sunlight of the Arizona desert. Research includes a citizen science component, where satellite gardens have been installed in nearby high schools.

Exploring carbon compound pore structures contributed to improved gas mask filtration

During World War II, the British Coal Utilisation Research Association sought to improve the efficiency of coal as an energy source and studied the effectiveness of charcoal filters to keep soldiers safe. Rosalind Franklin's research there formed the basis of her PhD and led to five scientific papers.

Plant hormones and growth regulators guide growth stages and responses in plants

Plants naturally produce hormones like auxin and gibberellins, while humans apply synthetic or extracted growth regulators to control plant development. These substances influence processes like flowering, root growth, dormancy, and ripening—even in very small doses.

Nonprofits strive to replant the Amazon and slow global warming

This article explores the efforts of nonprofit organizations like Rioterra in reforesting the Brazilian Amazon to mitigate climate change. Their goal is enormous: reforest an area twice the size of Germany, costing over 20 billion dollars. In order...

Stem cell therapies

Stem cells' special attributes interest researchers developing new therapeutic tools for a variety of health problems. Much of this research is done with support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This page offers a snapshot of research programs funded by the NIH and the health problems those programs focus on.

Meet six commercially available synbio products

An article exploring the science behind synbio products currently on the market, and projecting the products that can be expected over the next 10 years.

View the rainbow effect on the waters at First Landing State Park

The phenomenon results from light interacting with a thin film of natural oils on the surface of swamps and marshes at the site, not unlike the coloration seen in soap bubbles. The oils originate from decaying vegetation or from anaerobic bacteria reducing iron in soil. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

Visualize how CRISPR-Cas9—a type of immune system used by single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses—targets and makes precise changes to a gene's DNA.

Visual deep dive into the collapse of insects

The most diverse group of organisms on the planet are in trouble, with recent research suggesting insect populations are declining at an unprecedented rate. Explore this visual interactive on the issue from Reuters Graphics.

Random lasers can be created from biomaterials, such as peanuts and birch leaves

Rather than creating a narrow beam of light via amplification in an optical cavity, the random laser produces a red glow by scattering photons created in the natural pores of a peanut kernel after it has been injected with a solution of light-generating carbon dots derived from birch leaves.

Understanding the power grid and how renewable sources fit in

The power grid is evolving to include ever-higher levels of solar and wind, which don’t provide inertia. Should system planners and operators panic?

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.

Listen to an in-depth conversation on the links between Parkinson's disease and herbicide exposure and the challenging pace of scientific investigation.

Some renewable energy sources may weaken the resiliency of electric grids by removing outage buffers provided by coal- and natural gas-fired plants, which provide the system with more time to find a new power source if a plant goes down.

The use of fungi to detoxify land and water—a process known as mycoremediation—has been used to clean up natural resources affected by the 2025 California wildfires.

During the French Revolution, a botanist's letter asking about "dear Rhus" (poison ivy) was intercepted, leading authorities to suspect he was conspiring with the Russians.

When you complete a CAPTCHA on a website to prove you are human, you may be unknowingly training algorithms for self-driving cars, whose systems require training data to help identify crosswalks, bicycles, and other outdoor objects.

Read a deep dive on the 'all-purpose healing' peptide BPC-157.

Coral reefs get their colors from zooxanthellae—microorganisms that line corals' digestive tracts and provide them with sugars in exchange for a home within this protective tissue.

Explore the archaeological treasures of Pompeii, the city buried under volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE.

Watch how deep-sea mining equipment collects and processes polymetallic nodules—metal-rich, potato-shaped rocks—from the ocean floor and creates environmentally damaging plumes of sediments.

See how each of the more than two million known species relates to each other—and to common ancestors—in this zoomable tree of life.

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

The first line of 'immortal' human cells, which can divide indefinitely and are used in scientific research, was nonconsensually taken from a Black woman.

All rainbows are 'raincircles' caused by water droplets separating white sunlight into a spectrum of colors, but Earth's surface blocks the bottom half of the circle from our line of sight.

Telehealth demand for GLP-1s for weight loss is booming as consumers seek easier access.

The history of many kitchen appliances involves unexpected discoveries and applications, including wartime radar turned hamster defroster and replacing an 'ice king' with heat-stealing boxes.

Planarian flatworms are small, aquatic worms with exceptional regenerative capabilities. When cut, the worms can regenerate multiple bodies in a matter of weeks.

How Amazon operates a 'flywheel' business model, a self-reinforcing cycle that drives continuous growth

An initial public offering or 'IPO' is the process of a private company becoming public by putting shares of the company on the stock market for purchase.

The 2026 Ebola outbreak in the DRC is spurring new Ebola vaccine development for the Bundibugyo species.

Objects can be 3D printed with light by projecting 2D computerized tomography (CT) scans onto rotating cylinders of resin, which solidify upon exposure.

The price of gas is a composite made up of several different factors, with the federal gas tax making up less than 20% of what drivers pay at the pump.

Georgia O'Keeffe's flower paintings are often assumed to be sexual, though the artist claimed she was simply interested in highlighting the beauty of flowers that most people neglect