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“Due to global warming and the limited resources of (fossil) fuels on Earth, it is highly important to gain a full understanding of all aspects of how biology utilizes solar energy. The field of photosynthesis research is very broad and comprises research at various levels—from eco-systems to isolated proteins. It begins with light capture, its conversion to chemical energy, leading to oxygen evolution, and selleck carbon fixation. During almost 100 years of photosynthesis research, scientific “tools,” used in this research, have grown significantly

in number and complexity. In this very first of its kind educational special issue of Photosynthesis Research, we aim to give an overview about biophysical techniques currently (-)-p-Bromotetramisole Oxalate employed in the field. With these biophysical methods, the structures of proteins and cofactors can be resolved, and kinetic and thermodynamic information on the processes can be obtained. All papers, no matter how complex the technique, are written by experts in the field in a way that we hope will be understood by students in biology, chemistry, and physics. In this way, these educational reviews are an important supplement to books in the field, which we recommend for more detailed information on the present topics [see, e.g., Biophysical Techniques in Photosynthesis, edited by J. Amesz and A. J.