Weird and wonderful members of the plant kingdom - chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is a green compound found in leaves and green stems of plants, as everybody learnt in their school biology lessons it's essential for photosynthesis, the process by which plants, and even some bacteria, use the energy from sunlight to produce sugar, which cellular respiration converts into ATP, the 'fuel' used by all living things. In addition, the photosynthetic process uses water and releases the oxygen that we absolutely must have to stay alive. It's an amazing thing, chlorophyll - it exists as tiny discs inside plant cells, and can adjust itself to temperature and heat. When the sunshine is too strong each disc turns edge on to the light to reduce take up of sunlight. But on a grey day, the discs turn broadside to the sun to use as much of it as possible to promote plant growth.

An analysis of data obtained by the Pathfinder mission to the Red Planet in 1997 suggests there could be chlorophyll - the molecule used by plants and other organisms on Earth to extract energy from sunlight - in otherwise sterile soil close to the landing site. Researchers stress their work is in a very preliminary state and they are far from making definite claims, however it does suggest that if true, then Mars might become a potential future home for humanity too.

Chlorophyll may also have anti-carcinogenic activity. Some experimental data suggests that chlorophyll helps protect against some toxins, and may ameliorate some drug side effects, primarily in easing the effects of medication on the stomach by easing constipation in some patients.

Chlorophyll photograph by naturefreak07, used under a creative commons attribution licence