Recently, scientists proved that one of the most important processes on Earth—photosynthesis—begins with a single photon, or particle of light. During photosynthesis, plants, algae, and some bacteria harness light from the sun to turn water and carbon dioxide into sugar they use as food. The process also releases oxygen into the air, which other living things breathe to survive.
To make their discovery, the researchers created a special machine. It aimed individual photons at a ring of molecules inside a single-celled bacterium. The molecules absorbed this photon and then emitted another photon with a different energy. This indicated that the photon had transferred its energy through the ring of molecules, which is what occurs during the first step of photosynthesis!
The experiment shows that photosynthesis can occur in places where there’s very little light, like deep underwater, says chemist Graham Fleming, who co-authored the study.