The prestigious scientific journal Nature Chemical Biology has published an expert article of the scientific teams of Ing. Roman Sobotka, Ph.D., from the Institute of Microbiology of The CAS (Centre Algatech in Třeboň) and prof. RNDr. Tomáš Polívka, Ph.D., from the Biology Centre of The CAS and the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. Their breakthrough discovery describes the physical nature of the conversion of light radiation to heat, which takes place in light-harvesting complexes of plants. “They fulfil the role of kind of microscopic solar panels,” explains Ing. Roman Sobotka, Ph.D. However, if too much energy is absorbed, there is a threat of damage to the photosystems and light-harvesting complexes as a large part of the energy transforms into heat, through which they safely dispose of the energy. The mechanism of this occurrence was just discovered by scientists from The Czech Academy of Sciences.
You can find the article published on-line here. In the April print volume of Nature Chemical Biology an illustration will be on the cover, which is related to this article. It only underscores the significance of the mentioned discovery.
9 Mar 2015
