Team discovers a new take on early evolution of photosynthesis

A team of scientists from Arizona State University’s School of Molecular Sciences has begun re-thinking the evolutionary history of photochemical reaction centers (RCs). Their analysis was recently published online in Photosynthesis Research and describes a new pathway that ancient organisms may have taken to evolve the great variety of photosynthetic RCs seen today across bacteria, algae, and plants. The study will go into print later this summer in a special issue dedicated to photochemical reaction centers.