Get the latest tech news
Researchers Give Animal Cells the Ability to Photosynthesize for the First Time
A Japanese team has developed a technique to insert chloroplasts isolated from algae into animal cells, a feat that could revolutionize sustainable energy and how artificial meat and organs are created.
Chloroplasts, the parts of cells that allow plants and algae to photosynthesize, are thought to have originated over 1 billion years ago, when photosynthetic cyanobacteria lived symbiotically within other primitive cellular organisms. “To our knowledge, this is the first time that photosynthetic electron transport has been confirmed in chloroplasts transplanted into animal cells,” explains Professor Yukihiro Matsunaga of the University of Tokyo. Planimal cells, if possible, could be a game changer in multiple industries, including medical research, food production, and energy generation.
Or read this on Wired
