photosynthesis
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1.75-Billion-Year-Old Fossils Are Oldest Record of Oxygenic Photosynthesis
The story of life on Earth can’t be told without photosynthesis, the process by which plants (and some other lifeforms) convert sunlight into chemical energy. Now, a team of researchers has announced the discovery of fossilized photosynthetic structures—the oldest yet known—from a staggering 1.75 billion years ago. The structures belong to microfossils of Navifusa majensis,…
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Logged Forests May Be Carbon Emitters for Years
If you’ve ever been offered the opportunity to donate money to plant a tree to offset a purchase, you’ve probably guessed that trees naturally store carbon. Forests are an invaluable source of carbon storage around the world; one would assume that forests that have been cut down but are regrowing trees are also regaining their…
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The 10 UNESCO World Heritage Forests That Humans Ruined
UNESCO World Heritage Sites are the planet’s most iconic places and include sites from the natural and built world. But a new report from the group shows that a small but vital number of forests that have received a UNESCO designation are being irrevocably altered by human activities.
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Are Plants Quantum?
A long-standing debate over just how “quantum” photosynthesis is may finally be coming to an end.