How DNA Helps Humans Harvest Energy From The Sun

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Light sensing machinery transforms sunlight into body chemistry

Whether it comes from the sun, the stars, or our phones, we are often bathed in light. We use both natural and man-made light to help us get through modern life, and we’ve even figured out how to harvest its energy through the use of solar panels. But the ability to capture the energy in sunlight isn’t new to humans. In fact, it’s coded in our DNA. The human body is capable of building specialized proteins that transform light energy into chemical energy. One of these proteins, known as melanopsin, uses light energy to set our biological clock and may be involved in embryonic development. Continue reading “How DNA Helps Humans Harvest Energy From The Sun”

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