Researchers find evidence of photosynthesis-like process in aphids
(Phys.org) -- In plants, algae and some types of bacteria and fungi, sunlight is converted to chemical energy in a process we all know as photosynthesis; in that process water and carbon dioxide are also converted to oxygen. Now it appears that a type of aphid, a small insect, is able to do something similar, minus the water and carbon dioxide conversion. Researchers at the Sophia Agrobiotech Institute in France, have found that not only do aphids produce carotenoids, but the amount they produce seems to be directly influenced by the amount of sunshine they receive in their daily life. This the authors explain in their paper published in Scientific Reports, suggests the insects might be able to directly convert sunlight to energy, which would make it the only animal able to do so.