Scientists at M.I.T. look to imitate photosynthesis in their attempts to build an artificial leaf that captures and stores the Sun’s energy in the form of electricity. “The leaf, a silicon-based square the size of a playing card, closely mimics the way plants use the process of photosynthesis to create energy. The device is dropped into a bucket of water, or even a muddy puddle, and placed in direct sunlight. ‘Leaves are buzzing with electricity,’ said Daniel Nocera, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who heads the research, ‘they just don’t have any wires in them.’ Neither does the artificial leaf.”