Researchers discover that a spot of molecular glue and a timely twist help a bacterial enzyme convert carbon dioxide into carbon compounds 20 times faster than plant enzymes do during photosynthesis. The results stand to accelerate progress toward converting carbon dioxide into a variety of products.

High-speed X-ray free-electron lasers have unlocked the crystal structures of small molecules relevant to chemistry and materials science, proving a new method that could advance semiconductor and solar cell development.

Recently developed methods now in use at SLAC’s X-ray synchrotron helped a team of chemists better understand how certain bacteria turn light into chemical energy.

A better understanding of this process could inform the next generation of artificial photosynthetic systems that produce clean and renewable energy.