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Theodor W. Engelmann discovered through a now classic experiment that the wavelengths of light have an affect on photosynthesis, more specifically that violet-blue and red portions of the visible spectrum are most effective in driving photosynthesis.

He discovered this by illuminating a filamentous alga with light shone through a prism. This exposed segments of the alga to different wavelengths. Engelmann then used aerobic bacteria to determine which segments of the alga produced the most oxygen and thus photosynthesized the most as the bacteria would concentrate around that area. He noticed that they concentrated mostly around the violet-blue portions and towards the red portions and was thus able to conclude that these sections were most effective in photosynthesis. Not bad for an experiment done in 1883!

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14y ago

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