An X-ray of smoke bush leaves, highlighting the branching veins throughout the leaves.

Photosynthesis is still a mystery—but science is revealing unknown steps

Most plants split water molecules to generate energy, and now we have a clearer picture of exactly how they do it.

Researches have found missing steps in photosynthesis by stimulating plant proteins with laser light and then capturing the resulting processes with x-rays. Here, the leaves of a smoke bush are visualized via x-ray.
Image by NICK VEASEY, SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
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