Chloroplast components called thylakoids in these 90-micrometer droplets use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide to organic compounds.
By Robert F. ServiceJust like mechanics cobble together old engine parts to build a new roadster, synthetic biologists have remade chloroplasts, the engine at the heart of photosynthesis.
By combining the light-harvesting machinery of spinach plants with enzymes from nine different organisms, scientists report making an artificial chloroplast that operates outside of cells to harvest sunlight and use the resulting energy to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into energy-rich molecules.
The researchers hope their souped-up photosynthesis system might eventually convert CO2 directly into useful chemicals—or help