In 1648, a Dutch doctor named Johann Baptista van Helmont had begun his discovery of photosynthesis by essentially experimenting with potted plants. With this experiment he had grown a willow for five years. After the tests, the tree's mass increased while the soil remained the same. Van Helmont had believed that the cause was the water and nutrients needed by the plant. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Later in 1772, Joseph Priestley did another experiment between a mouse and a candle. Knowing that a lit candle will go out if placed in a sealed area, he had also tested whether or not a mouse would die if placed in the sealed area. The tests concluded that the hypothesis was indeed true. The mouse's death occurred because the combustion process consumes the oxygen the animal needs to breathe. But, when the lack of oxygen can be met with an area of ​​oxygen, the oxygen would be replenished and the mouse would be able to survive. In an important discovery, another Dutch doctor had discovered through an experiment another factor in photosynthesis. Discovered by Jan Ingen-Housz in 1778, he concluded that while undergoing photosynthesis, a plant radiates oxygen through its green leaves. However, any part of the plant that is not green will consume oxygen rather than emit it during photosynthesis. The consumable parts are not limited but include the fruit, the stem, the branch and also the roots. This taught us an important key to photosynthesis: chlorophyll. Another learning event about photosynthesis was the discovery that plants have a carbon footprint in their carbon content. The discovery occurred during photosynthesis, the release of oxygen depended on the intake of carbon dioxide. Naturally the plant takes in carbon dioxide and extracts and absorbs carbon. Since oxygen is essentially useless, it is removed from the plant and returned to nature. The discovery of this information was concluded and carried out by Jean Senebier who also invented a formula: CO + H2O -> (CH2O) + O2 Keep in mind: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom EssayThe latest fundamental discovery of photosynthesis was made by a microbiologist named Van Niel, who discovered that light plays a key role in photosynthesis. By conducting a research experiment with purple sulfur bacteria, both the bacteria and green plants synthesized glucose from carbon dioxide. However, this statement was only true in the presence of light.