Until recently, it was thought that this energy-hopping from one chlorophyll molecule to another was haphazard, essentially adopting the search strategy of last resort, known as a random walk. This is sometimes referred to as a “drunken walk” because it resembles the path taken by an intoxicated drinker exiting a bar, wandering this way and that until he eventually finds his way home. But random walks are not a very efficient means of getting anywhere: if the drunk’s home is far away, he may well wake up the following morning in a bush on the other side of town. An object engaged in a random
...more
