http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/07/new-light-eating-protein-discovered-sea-galilee

In their quest to find “light-eating” proteins, cellular components that help plants and microbes harvest light from the sun, a team of scientists has stumbled upon the first new kind in nearly 50 years—at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee. The unexpected discovery could help researchers better understand how microbes sense light, and it could power new kinds of light-based research and data storage techniques.

Many organisms use light-sensitive proteins to gather the sun’s energy and help them survive. Some use chlorophyll to convert sunlight during photosynthesis and others use rhodopsins, proteins that bind to a form of vitamin A called retina to capture light. The best known rhodopsin is embedded in the rod cells of our eyes, where it helps us see in the dark. But another form of rhodopsin helps small organisms, such as algae and bacteria, absorb light to make chemical energy.