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<p>Cartoon schematic of electron transport chain of photosynthesis in which energy from sunlight creates high-energy electrons that are shuttle among various protein complexes. The electron shuttling process is coupled with proton pumps that power ATP formation by ATP synthase.  An electron can flow linearly to power NADPH formation or it can be cycled between photosystem I and NDH to boost ATP synthesis. (Credit: Thomas Laughlin/UC Berkeley and Berkeley Lab).</p>
Physical Science

New Molecular Blueprint Advances Our Understanding of Photosynthesis

Researchers at Berkeley Lab have used one of the most advanced microscopes in the world to reveal the structure of a large protein complex crucial to photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert sunlight into cellular energy. The finding, published in the journal Nature, will allow scientists to explore, for the first time, how the complex functions and could have implications for the production of a variety of bioproducts, including plastic alternatives and biofuels.

<p>At left is a 1980s conception of the structure of the proton, which is a positively charged particle found in atomic nuclei. At right is our current understanding of the various subatomic particles – including quarks, antiquarks, and gluons – that make up the proton and contribute to a fundamental property known as spin. (Credit: Z.-E. Meziani)</p>
Physical Science

Preparing for a New Tool to Study the ‘Glue That Binds Us All’

For several decades, the nuclear science community has been calling for a new type of particle collider to pursue – in the words of one report – “a new experimental quest to study the glue that binds us all.” This glue is responsible for most of the visible universe’s matter and mass. To learn about this glue, scientists are proposing a unique, high-energy collider that smashes accelerated electrons, which carry a negative charge, into charged atomic nuclei or protons, which carry a positive charge.