In diagrams it looks like a confection of self-curling ribbon with bits of bling hung off the ribbon here and there. In fact it is a carefully designed ring of proteins with attached pigments that self-assembles into a structure ...
Materials Science
Aug 21, 2013
0
0
Purple bacteria contain pigments that allow them to use sunlight as their source of energy, hence their color. Small as they are, these microbes can teach us a lot about life on Earth, because they have been around longer ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 23, 2013
0
0
Nature has perfected the art of using the Sun to fuel growth. A team of international researchers looked into what is needed to recreate the process artificially. The results could have various uses, from an alternative to ...
Materials Science
Jul 4, 2013
0
0
Purple bacteria are among Earth's oldest organisms, and among its most efficient in turning sunlight into usable chemical energy. Now, a key to their light-harvesting prowess has been explained through a detailed structural ...
Materials Science
May 15, 2013
3
0
Pigments found in plants and purple bacteria employed to provide protection from sun damage do more than just that. Researchers from the University of Toronto and University of Glasgow have found that they also help to harvest ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 4, 2013
0
0
Purple bacteria were among the first life forms on Earth. They are single celled microscopic organisms that play a vital role in sustaining the tree of life. This tiny organism lives in aquatic environments like the bottom ...
Soft Matter
May 3, 2010
1
1
Photosynthesis is a remarkable biological process that supports life on earth. Plants and photosynthetic microbes do so by harvesting light to produce their food, and in the process, also provide vital oxygen for animals ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 11, 2009
0
0
Scientists studying submerged sinkholes in the Great Lakes off the coast of northern Michigan have stumbled onto something they never expected to find: life forms akin to those found in some of Earth's most extreme environments.
Ecology
May 4, 2009
2
0
