SEATTLE — It’s easy being green for a sea slug that has stolen enough genes to become the first animal shown to make chlorophyll like a plant. Shaped like a leaf itself, the slug Elysia chlorotica ...

SEATTLE — It’s easy being green for a sea slug that has stolen enough genes to become the first animal shown to make chlorophyll like a plant. Shaped like a leaf itself, the slug Elysia chlorotica ...

The sea slug is bright green, shaped like a leaf and doing something very few animals can: harnessing the power of the sun. Certain species of sacoglossan sea slugs can conduct photosynthesis—an ...

There are several species of sacoglossan sea slugs that feed on large, unicellular algae and hold onto the algae’s chloroplasts, the organelles that turn plant cells green and convert light to energy.

Solar power is a relatively new development for humans but, of course, many living things have been exploiting the power of the sun for millions of years, through the process of photosynthesis. This ...