Light Up Lancaster is a family-friendly festival of art, performaces and activities that takes place before the 5th of November fireworks in Lancaster.
Photosynthesis - Turningn light into life
Have you ever thought how Earth and life would be without photosynthesis? Without oxygen from photosynthesis Earth would look like Mars or Venus, and life would be microscopic. Instead, our planet is green from the chlorophyll that photosynthetic organisms use to capture energy from the Sun; it’s blue from the oxygen released during photosynthesis; and it supports a wide diversity of life, including us.
Plants use sunlight during their whole life cycle not only to grow, but to know when to grow and reproduce or remain dormant. Plant growth and agriculture have shaped our civilization and are essential for our future. Scientists at Lancaster Environment Centre work to understand and improve photosynthesis to increase yields for a more sustainable agriculture.
In our installation people experienced how plants use light to grow, and perform photosynthesis through hands-on activities to meause photosynthesis and chlorophylls, extract plant pigments and see leaf stomata under a microscope.