Showing posts with label pigment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pigment. Show all posts

Australian Researcher Discovers a New Chlorophyll

A new form of chlorophyll has been identified in Shark Bay stromatolites by Min Chen of the University of Sydney. She has been awarded the Science Minister's Prize for Life Scientist of the Year.

Chlorophyll had previously been found in four forms. It is a plant pigment that makes sugar giving energy to plants. The new type called chlorophyll f operates in the upper red end of the visible spectrum. Future uses include solar cells and new kinds of food crops.

The new type of chlorophyll was found by studying cyanobacteria within stromatolites. It was an accidental discovery. The intention was to understand more about chlorophyll d. Both types of chlorophyll are similar, but have different bonding structures.
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