BIG BANG OF EVOLUTION AND THE ENGINE OF LIFE

James Barber FRS, has been a leading investigator in the field of photosynthesis for over 40 years. This volume summarizes his contributions, ending with his most important work on how plants make oxygen, a molecule that is essential to our life on our planet. His contributions over the years has taken a zigzag course dependent on many factors which university based scientists have to deal with including maintaining continuity of effort. Each step in the journey is moulded by the knowledge current at time, slowly progressing to his final goal, obtaining the high resolution of structure of the oxygen evolving enzyme and thus provide a blue-print to construct a technology to produce renewable carbon free energy for the future survival of organised human society on our planet. A selection of his papers are used to provide the stepping stones for his journey which stretch over almost 50 years. It is a story of what seemed impossible becoming possible and an inspiration to young scientists just starting their careers.
Contents: Ion Transport in Unicellular Algae in Relation to PhotosynthesisElectrical Properties of Chloroplast Thylakoid Membranes Measured by Salt-Induced Stimulation of Delayed Chlorophyll Fluorescence from Photosystem IIIon Regulation in Intact Chloroplasts in Response to Proton Pumping Across Thylakoid MembranesElectrical Charges on the Outer Surface of Chloroplast Thylakoid Membrane and Changes in the Adjacent Diffuse Layer as Measured by Chlorophyll FlorescenceControl of Thylakoid Membranes Organisation by Its Surface ChargesState 1–State 2 Transitions Controlled by Changes in Electrical Surface Charge by Phosphorylation of the Exposed N-terminus of a LHCII ProteinChlorophyll Fluorescence Lifetimes Measured with Picosecond ResolutionAn Interesting Distraction Away from PSII to Remote SensingLipids and Fluidity of Thylakoid MembranesQuantifying the Lateral Diffusion of LHCII and Plastoquinone Diffusion in Thylakoid MembranesLipids and PSIIChloroplast Genes and ConsequencesThe D1/D2/Cyt b559/PsbI PSII Reaction Centre IsolatedDeletion Mutants to Explore Function of Various PSII SubunitsPrimary Reactions of PSIIMolecular Basis of PhotoinhibitionTwenty One Years in a Botany/Biology Department: ReflectionsStructure of PSII by Electron Microscopy Including Electron CrystallographyStructure of PSII by Electron Microscopy: Analysis of Single ParticlesA Visit to UC Berkeley and A Surprise Redirection Towards Discoveries About PSIStructure of PSII by X-Ray Crystallography and ImplicationsFurther Studies on PSII by X-ray Crystallography and the Chloride-binding SitesThe Biosolar Laboratory Established in ItalyThe Solar Fuels Lab Established in NTU, Singapore, and Artificial PhotosynthesisConcluding Remarks
Readership: Students and researchers in biochemistry, biological chemistry and plant biology.Photosynthesis;Photosystem I;Photosystem II;Ion Transport;Chloroplast;Proton Pumping;Thylakoid Membranes;Chlorophyll;State 1-State 2 Transitions;Artificial Photosynthesis;Photoinhibition;Florescence Lifetimes00