Oxygenic photosynthesis is the process that powers life on earth. It has shaped the atmosphere by CO2 consumption and O2 production. Today oxygenic photosynthesis also serves as a blueprint for the large-scale production of non-fossil fuels, using merely water and CO2 as raw materials. By closely interfaced lecture periods and lab experiments, the following topics are addressed:
THE BASICS: Evolution and current types of photosynthetic organisms, basic mechanisms of the photosynthetic light reactions
METHODS: Purification of functional photosynthetic membrane particles and protein complexes, biophysical standard methods in photosynthesis research