Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Animal performs photosynthesis

A sea slug named Elysia chlorotica doesn't have to work for a living - after a point, at least. It absorbs genes and cell components called chloroplasts from plants it eats - and puts them to work to produce chlorophyll itself and live by photosynthesis. Biologist Sidney Pierce comments, "This is the first time that multicellular animals have been able to produce chlorophyll."

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