New study asks: what is the likely origin of chloroplasts?

The chloroplast carries out photosynthesis in all multicellular plants and algae. A new study sheds light on the evolutionary origins of this organelle, potentially answering the question: what is the likely origin of chloroplasts?   Life as we know it would have been impossible but for the evolution of a single important metabolic process—photosynthesis. Billions of years ago, a small group of prokaryotes, the cyanobacteria, first started using solar energy to convert carbon dioxide to carbohydrates, and in the process, they created the oxygen atmosphere that fundamentally changed the redox biochemistry of living organisms. Photosynthetic products are the source of...