Using SLAC’s X-ray laser, scientists have finally witnessed how nature creates the oxygen we breathe – after decades of research efforts.
Greg Stewart/SLAC National Accelerator LaboratoryEvery time the complex absorbs a photon of sunlight, the player on the field advances one base. When the fourth photon is absorbed, the player slides into home, releasing a molecule of oxygen.
He emphasized that in the photosystem II reaction, where changes occur on the order of microseconds, it is essential to use such short pulses to capture the images before any X-ray pulse damage occurs. While the team may not have discovered a revolutionary mechanism, just yet, they can confidently say that some of the existing theories about photosynthesis that have been proposed over the last few decades can be ruled out based on their findings. Think of it like a scientific highlighter that has marked off some possibilities, narrowing down the field and bringing us one step closer to understanding this incredible natural process.
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