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A hearty bowl of cereal gives you the energy to start your day, but how exactly did that energy make its way into your bowl? It all begins with photosynthesis, the process that converts the air we breathe into energizing glucose. Cathy Symington details the highly efficient second phase of photosynthesis — called the Calvin cycle — which converts carbon dioxide into sugar with some clever mix-and-match math.

Lesson by Cathy Symington, animation by Flaming Medusa Studios Inc.