Jakarta –
Photosynthesis is a chemical reaction that occurs in plants with green chlorophyll with the help of sunlight. When the process of photosynthesis runs, plants can make their own food.
But, are only plants utilizing the process of photosynthesis? Apparently not!
Quoted from the Live Science page, it is stated that some animals use sunlight to survive.
For example, aphids can produce a pigment that can be processed into a compound called adenosine triphosphate (ATP) with the help of light. The compound is used by aphids to drive reactions with cells.
Other animals take advantage of the photosynthesis process of the surrounding plants and steal the green substance of the leaves belonging to these plants. It is an Elysia sea slug.
By stealing chloroplasts, they have food and can live by photosynthesis for months.
Then what about humans?
Engineering Photosynthesis in Humans
According to Lindsay Turnbull, a plant ecologist at the University of Oxford in England, basically plants can live from the process of photosynthesis because they have wide and flat leaves. Thus, they could harvest as much light as possible.
In addition, they also need less energy because they are not as active as animals or humans.
If humans are to be able to photosynthesize like leaves, we must have a surface that can accommodate the daily energy requirements to survive.
Lindsay explained that humans must at least have skin with chlorophyll the size of a tennis court if they want to carry out the process of photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis also requires carbon dioxide in the process. It is known that plants have pores called stomata.
Stomata are useful for supplying carbon dioxide gas. Unfortunately this is not owned by humans, because the pores of human skin might let other elements leak such as moisture. It is proven harmful to the human body.
Impact of Photosynthetic Skin on Humans
If you wish further, what would happen if humans really had green skin that could photosynthesize?
The answer, award-winning science fiction writer John Scalzi provides an overview in his novel “Old Man’s War”.
The main character in the novel is a soldier equipped with a genetically engineered full body. The soldier has a cybernetic implanted brain that can make him strong, fast, agile and has green skin with photosynthetic powers.
In the novel, it is stated that the photosynthetic power possessed by soldiers is to add an extra energy. So every time he can feel fresher and able to perform various tasks.
John stated that if humans have photosynthetic skin, at least we will gain up to 3-5%. Because according to him the process of photosynthesis is the same as humans who drink coffee with high caffeine.
So, if we have photosynthetic skin we will feel refreshed like being injected with caffeine for free. Additional energy obtained in the process of photosynthesis will of course be taken by the brain.
Thus when the ability of the brain develops, humans may have reached the point of the industrial revolution in 10,000 BC instead of 1800 AD.
One might then wonder whether humans with photosynthetic skin would prefer to live in sunny climates? The answer is maybe.
“If they move to a desert area life will be better but they may have other resource problems to deal with, like a lack of water. There will always be two sides,” says John Scalzi.
When asked if John wanted photosynthetic skin, his response was surprising. Because according to him photosynthetic skin is not too important, even in the lower middle priority.
“There’s no harm, but I don’t see the benefits from it (photosynthetic skin) so great that I will completely change the way to get other benefits,” concluded John.
Watch Video “Artificial Leaf Breakthrough to Save Renewable Energy“
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