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Scientists have replicated a crucial photosynthetic reaction for the first time, taking them a step closer to creating sustainable, cheap fuel from water and sunlight - just like plants do. FIONA MACDONALD    WEDNESDAY, 27 AUGUST 2014 Image:  Australian National University Plants use  photosynthesis  to turn water, carbon dioxide and sunlight into oxygen and the energy they need to power their systems. And for decades scientists have been trying to replicate this reaction in order to create biological systems that can produce cheap, clean hydrogen fuel. Now, for the first time ever, scientists from the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia, have managed to modify a naturally occurring protein, and use it to capture energy from sunlight, a key step in photosynthesis. Their results have been published in  BBA Bioenergetics . “Water is abundant and so is sunlight. It is an exciting prospect to use them to create hydrogen, and ...