Plants can turn sunlight into energy faster than any man-made process ever has. How fast? Try one quadrillionth of a second. Now, scientists in the U.S., Australia, and the United Kingdom have begun mimicking photosynthesis to design a new generation of efficient solar-energy cells.

Inside plants, each tiny molecule performs a specific task that converts light into energy. That division of labor is one key to a plant's efficiency. Now, nanoscience can copy nature.

Scientists can build devices that work together, but are each responsible for a different function. And they have created a device that can absorb light and efficiently convert it to electrical current. Think of it as an artificial leaf. It continually turns sunlight into chemical energy, cleanly and efficiently.

Artificial photosynthesis could become a carbon-neutral source of electricity and fuel for transportation. That means it wouldn't contribute to climate change as the result of burning oil and coal.