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First Evidence That Some Insects May Rely On Photosynthesis
tedlistens writes "The idea that aphids may use photosynthesis, as plants do, is based on the recent finding that the bugs are able to synthesize pigments called carotenoids. These pigments are common and necessary for many animals (for non-photosynthesis uses, like maintaining a healthy immune system), but the animal must consume them from outside sources. So far, only plants, algae, fungi, and bacteria are known to be able to synthesize carotenoids themselves, and, in all of those organisms, carotenoids are a key part of photosynthesis. While the co-author of the study, published in Nature's open-access journal Scientific Reports, cautions that more research is needed before we can determine if aphids are photosynthesizing like non-animals, it still could be one of the more remarkable findings in biology in recent memory, and may hold promise for helping address humanity's food crisis."
No, seriously. There is no food crisis. As a species we have a food distribution problem, and a food wastage problem and they're rather shocking at that, but we really have no issue with feeding the population of earth today without resorting to eating genetically modified photosynthetic aphids. Now, a long term lack of motor fuel, is a problem, but aphids don't really solve that either. Mind you, this is scientifically interesting, but there really is no need to tie every technically interesting scientific discovery to the end of the world. Believe it or not, some of us like science for science's own sake.
Humanity's food crisis is a political problem, not a technical one.
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
That's probably a type of photosynthesis - using sunlight to produce Vitamin D from cholesterol, which is a vital hormone that 80% of us are lacking.
You know, sunlight's purpose is not to cause cancer and cholesterol is not there to clog your arteries, nature has a purpose for everything.
Considering how the peer-reviewed journal Nature ranks sixth overall in terms of impact factor, my guess is that there's more to the publication (and TFA) than your summary of it suggests.
Isn't this insect doing something like this coral symbiosis [wikipedia.org]?
Before I popped open the article, I figured it was going to be another one of those symbiont cases, or at the most one of those kleptoplasty cases (where the organism integrates and uses ingested chloroplasts). Turns out it's much more interesting -- the aphid apparently has it's own carotenoid synthesis pathways, and (it is hypothesized) can use it to reduce NAD+ for the purposes of pumping protons to drive ATP synthesis.
It's not a full photosynthesis pathway like plants have. They won't be able to get as much energy, nor can they fix CO2 to make organic substrates. But it is their own endogenous system that's at work (although parts of that system may have been obtained through horizontal gene transfer).