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Photosynthesis: what color was its origin?

Jin Xiong email

Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA

author email corresponding author email

Genome Biology 2006, 7:245doi:10.1186/gb-2006-7-12-245

Published: 3 January 2007

Subject areas: Evolution, Microbiology and parasitology, Biochemistry and structural biology, Plant biology

Abstract

Recent studies using geological and molecular phylogenetic evidence suggest several alternative evolutionary scenarios for the origin of photosynthesis. The earliest photosynthetic group is variously thought to be heliobacteria, proteobacteria or a precursor of cyanobacteria, organisms whose photosynthetic pigments make them different colors.


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