Scientists think they've found a way to harvest more electricity from plants, a finding that could ripple out to other renewable energy technologies. Eric Mack has been a CNET contributor since 2011.

When I was little, my family measured how tall I was. They marked it on the wall. It was amazing to see how much I grew. I talked about how plants grow with Helmut Kirchhoff. He’s a scientist at ...

Millions of years of evolution has resulted in plants being the most efficient harvesters of solar energy on the planet. Much research is underway into ways to artificially mimic photosynthesis in ...

Enhancing just three genes helps plants harvest more light, raising new hopes for developing crops that can keep up with food demands from a crowded planet. Genetically engineered tobacco plants, ...

"Photosynthesis is very powerful," Kirchhoff said. "If it's not controlled, it can produce too much energy, which creates dangerous molecules that can kill a plant. Engineering plants with better ...

This desert plant rewired photosynthesis to thrive at 120°F. Its hot secret could help our essential crops survive climate ...

Doubling of the carbon dioxide concentration will cause global plant photosynthesis to increase by about one third, according to a new paper. The study has relevance for the health of the biosphere ...

An international team of researchers has, for the first time, demonstrated that by fixing a common glitch in photosynthesis, a crop's yield could be improved by around 40 percent. The landmark study ...

Global food demand is a global dilemma. Over the past century, the world population has quadrupled. Food demand is expected to grow between 59 to 98 percent by 2050, yet it may not be possible for the ...