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When the Earth Was Purple

Posted by kdawson on from the how-violet-was-my-valley dept.

Ollabelle writes "It's always been a bit of a mystery why plants absorb red and blue light, reflecting green, when the sun emits the peak energy of the visible spectrum in the green. A new theory offers one possible answer: that the first chlorophyll-utilizing microbes evolved to exploit the red-and-blue light that older green-absorbing microbes didn't use, eventually out-competing them through greater efficiency and the rise of oxygen."

1 of 278 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Plants on other planets by kt0157 · · Score: 0, Troll

    "You wouldn't find any microbes on Europe because in our frame of reference they too would be very natural."

    I think you'll find there's intelligent life in Europe. More than you'll find in the US, anyway.