a set of chain reactions that convert light energy into chemical energy. Photosynthesis also produces energy-rich carbohydrates like starch. Photosynthesis occurs in the chloroplast of a plant cell... more

an illustration of bags of trash showing microbes inside

Manipulating Microbes

Challie Facemire

It's a gassy, microbe-filled world out there. How can we control or even use these gases for good? That's what Hinsby Cadillo-Quiroz is figuring out.

Read more about Glow-in-the-dark Plants

Some organisms, like this fungus, are able to glow, as if they were from an alien planet. But until recently, plants couldn't glow. Learn how scientists have found a way to make plants glow here on Earth.

Alison Willis

Read more about Anatomy of Freshwater

To Flow or Not to Flow

Water may flow in rivers or gather in lakes, depending on the landscape. Water can also affect the landscape, like in the carved canyons around the Colorado River. Image by Adrille.

Read more about Snacking on Sunlight Bits

This set of bits will teach you about the process plants use to make their own food: photosynthesis.

Drew Peltier

Read more about The Recipe for Plant Growth

Where Does a Plant's Mass Come From?

Have you ever wondered where plants get their mass? All those leaves and branches have to come from somewhere, but where? It turns out that the main ingredients for plant growth are water, air, and energy.

Read more about Plants of the Taiga

Plants of the Taiga

Taiga stream — Unless plants are close to a stream or pond in the taiga, water can be hard to find. Image by Евгений Адаев.

Snacking on Sunlight

Heather Kropp Angela Halasey

If it weren't for plants, most of the other organisms on this planet wouldn't survive. Most plants can use energy from the sun to make their own food. Let's take a closer look at the complex process of photosynthesis that gives them this special ability.
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Read more about CAM Plants

Barrel cactus — Cacti absorb and store carbon dioxide at night, then wait until the daytime to complete light-dependent reactions. Image by DGustafson.

Frozen Life

Kyle Kinzler

When you think of the Arctic, you might picture mostly empty ice. But the Arctic ecosystem is home to many organisms, from microscopic bacteria to large animals like whales and polar bears. Much of this life in the Arctic depends on tiny organisms called plankton which make up the base of the food web.
Also in: Español

Read more about Plants of the Tundra

Plants of the Tundra

Permafrost pattern — Permafrost is a layer of frozen soil, often made of rotting plants mixed with gravel and other ground materials. Permafrost is found throughout much of the tundra. Image by Brocken Inaglory.

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